Bearman tipped if Verstappen leaves Red Bull

Ralf Schumacher believes Oliver Bearman would be Red Bull’s first choice if Max Verstappen leaves, while also suggesting last week’s high-profile meeting between Verstappen’s management and Dr Helmut Marko was more likely about the Dutchman’s future than a bid to bring Marko back.

With speculation raging over Verstappen’s future, Schumacher was asked who Red Bull should target if the four-time world champion departs.

"If it were possible to get him, my first choice would be Oliver Bearman, if they think they can’t rely on Hadjar," he told Sky Deutschland.

"Then there’s Carlos Sainz, who is a good driver. The only problem is that he hasn’t yet proven he can compete for the world championship, but Sainz has done a good job."

Schumacher said Bearman has all the qualities to succeed at the front of Formula 1.

"If Hamilton only has one more year, then the question is why they would let such a gem go," said the German.

He also commented on Oscar Piastri, who has been linked with Red Bull amid continuing speculation about Verstappen and McLaren. "I think Piastri is more in the Carlos Sainz category - and he’s changed," Schumacher said.

"I believe he suffered a bit from the discord within the team last year, and it didn’t help that he felt he didn’t have the same equipment as his teammate.

"That affected him, and I think you can tell he’s not entirely happy at the moment."

Schumacher, though, urged Verstappen not to become consumed by the ongoing transfer saga.

"He must be careful not to lose himself," he warned.

He doubts last week’s Amsterdam meeting involving Jos Verstappen, manager Vermeulen and former Red Bull adviser Marko was about bringing the 83-year-old Austrian back into Formula 1.

"I can’t imagine that," he said when asked about a Marko comeback.

"I think he’s relatively happy with what he has now. Of course, it may not have been a simple decision, but he has now resigned himself to it."

Schumacher believes Red Bull has already moved on under Laurent Mekies.

"Dr Marko is great with his experience, but he is also not the youngest," he said.

"Everything has changed. Mekies is there now. I think they’re now betting on other people."

However, he believes Verstappen’s camp is now realising just how important Marko was behind the scenes, having "underestimated" the role he played.

Schumacher said the Amsterdam meeting itself was significant.

"If he had only met Max’s father, I would have said, ’Fine, maybe they’ll just drink a cup of coffee’," he said. "But the three of them, with the manager and the father, and then also in Amsterdam, in the Netherlands, that has a different taste."

Rather than discussing a Marko comeback, Schumacher suspects the meeting centred on Verstappen’s next move.

"Maybe it was a consultation about how he sees the situation," he said. "Is there another chance? What should we do at Red Bull?

"That seems to me much more likely."