David Croft: Verstappen's retirement could mean the arrival of Norris to Red Bull

• F1

David Croft, television broadcaster for Sky Sports, is a man who often has interesting theories and analyses related to the F1 scene. Max Verstappen, the star of Red Bull, recently made a statement that his career could not last that long.

This obviously caused alarm among the Red Bull team, who are already thinking about who they could pair with Verstappen. Croft believes that Lando Norris will be Red Bull's choice, and the man to succeed Max in the right way.

“The more Max says ‘I might not be around after 2028, I might retire early and do other things’, the more Red Bull feel ‘we need a big star to be alongside Max for a couple of years, three years, then be our big star to carry on into the future’,” he said on Sky Sports, as quoted by crash.net However, the question is whether Norris will accept such an option, and what kind of plans McLaren really has.

"That suits Lando Norris’ star billing, at the moment. Will he stay around at McLaren longer than his contract? It depends if they give him a car which can challenge for a championship. It’s a slow burner, but it’s a big story”.

Sergio Perez and other options

Sergio Perez hasn't shown much in the last few races. His contract expires next year, and many are wondering if it will be extended. If indeed Red Bull does not give Perez a new chance, there are many options on the table, but Norris seems to be one of them.

However, it is too early to prejudge anything. Time will tell. "When Sergio’s contract comes to an end, unless he is performing in the way that Red Bull want, they will look outside,” Crofty said. "Unless Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson or Daniel Ricciardo prove they can win races consistently, and be that big team challenge to Verstappen”.