Early season discord, stemming from Christian Horner’s ‘inappropriate behavior saga’ and soon, a performance dip in the RB20, saw rumors of Max Verstappen wanting to leave Red Bull arise. Mercedes aggressively pursued the Dutchman, with Toto Wolff leading the charge. Eventually, Wolff gave up and signed Kimi Antonelli for 2025. But recent reports now suggest that Verstappen has informally agreed to sign for Mercedes for 2026 and beyond.
In front of the media, Verstappen has always firmly denied wanting to leave the team. However, it now appears his father Jos has been working in the background to draw up a new deal for his son with the eight-time Constructors’ champions.
Nico Rosberg after Martin Brundle says Mercedes doesn’t need Max Verstappen in 2026 if Russell and Antonelli can get the job done.
Nico Rosberg: I disagree… if Max is available, you pay for Max.. strongly pic.twitter.com/nldP3uAbrf
— Devyani (@formula_dev) August 31, 2024
According to F1 Insider, Verstappen and Mercedes have already struck a deal. Following the 2026 regulation changes, the Silver Arrows are expected to be the team to watch, thanks to the strength of their engine department. The Brackley-based outfit mastered the last major engine change in 2014, going on to dominate the turbo-hybrid era. Many expect them to replicate that success.
Reports suggest that Wolff has already shared all the data regarding Mercedes’ 2026 power units with Verstappen.
As part of this informal deal, Verstappen is now expected to trigger an exit clause in his current Red Bull contract, which runs until 2028 but allows for early exit under specific conditions.
Verstappen won three World championships with Red Bull in 2021, 2022, and 2023. Everything seemed smooth sailing for the 26-year-old until this season when Red Bull dramatically lost its dominant edge.
After winning 19 races in 2023, Verstappen has now gone seven races without a victory. Red Bull also lost its lead in the Constructors’ championship to McLaren after the Azerbaijan GP last weekend.
Additionally, although the fallout from Horner’s inappropriate behavior lawsuit has quieted down, there are still suggestions that the team is internally unraveling. Adrian Newey’s resignation is being attributed to this disarray, with speculation mounting that Verstappen may soon follow.
