Verstappen’s hopes of securing a fifth consecutive Drivers’ Championship crown have been left in ruins, and Red Bull ’s future as an F1 powerhouse is in doubt. In Mercedes, the Dutchman has been handed a route out of the chaos, although in taking up the offer, he would be moving away from the squad that delivered him a modern motorsport dynasty.

An F1 star has opened up on how 'locking horns' with another driver is inevitable for anyone racing for Red Bull's sister team. Carlos Sainz spent his rookie year in the sport alongside Max Verstappen at Toro Rosso back in 2015, and the pair were also side by side for the opening weeks of the 2016 campaign.