Ralf Schumacher believes Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull will come down to whether the Dutchman has the "patience" for the team to provide him another championship-worthy car.
The former F1 driver took aim at team principal Christian Horner and technical director Pierre Wache, arguing the environment at the Milton Keynes squad is "not so good" and that it does not "understand" its cars anymore.
Having spent the first half of the current generation of ground effect F1 cars with the most dominant package, the past 12 months have seen a considerable drop off in performance for the six-time constructors' champions.
The RB20 started last year in fine form but its tail-off culminated in the team finishing only third in the standings. Things have not improved this year and nine rounds into the season Red Bull is fourth.
Despite the Dutchman's impressive displays over most of the current campaign, he is now 49 points adrift of Oscar Piastri in the title hunt, and has been comprehensively out-performing his car - especially when compared with what Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda have achieved in the RB21.
Schumacher feels being mired in relative mediocrity is a fate the team will endure for the "foreseeable future", something that could prompt Verstappen to leave before the end of his contract in 2028.
"If Max wants to leave, you can't stop him," he told Backstage Boxengasse, Sky Sports Germany's F1 podcast. "No matter what driver wants to leave, he will eventually get it done.
"Red Bull is struggling at the moment and will continue to struggle for the foreseeable future. It is evident from the performance. Imola looked good... but apparently it was the case that the car suited the circuit well, just like at Suzuka."
The former Jordan, Williams and Toyota driver went as far as to suggest former Red Bull employees do not want to return, such is the situation under Horner.
"Now it has become clear how things stand," Schumacher added. "Red Bull further wants Max to stay and Max obviously wants to have a working car. That is not guaranteed at the moment.
"They have tried so much, nothing has worked. Now the team has to find new people. The atmosphere in the team is not so good with Christian Horner. The people who worked there before don't want to go back.
"You have to completely reposition yourself and that takes time. The question is whether Verstappen has patience."
Viewed by others:
Push and pull factors
The six-time grand prix winner zeroed in on the upcoming F1 regulations overhaul, questioning why Verstappen would have faith in that project, given how things have unravelled under the current rules.
"As a driver, what gives me hope that Red Bull will build a winning car again next year? The updates didn't work, so why should I now assume that Pierre Wache will suddenly build a miracle car? He doesn't even understand the old car properly anymore," he said.
However, Schumacher did underline his belief that the four-time F1 drivers' champion does want to stay up - and that any decision about his future does not need to be made soon.
"Max has time," the 49-year-old stated. "He doesn't have to make the decision about his future now. He can wait until or even after the summer break.
"Besides, he also owes a lot to Red Bull. Secretly, he probably wants to stay there because Red Bull is like family to him."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they discuss last weekend's Spanish Grand Prix! Max Verstappen's clash with George Russell is a major talking point this week, as is whether Lewis Hamilton has started to contemplate if he is still quick enough.
Rather watch the podcast? Then click here!
Most read
In this article
Join the conversation!