Ever since Lewis Hamilton signaled his intention to leave Mercedes last year, the Silver Arrows have been flirting with the idea of luring Max Verstappen away from Red Bull. While their efforts did not materialize last season, there is increasing speculation that the Dutchman wants to force his way out of the Milton Keynes-based team.
Former F1 driver and Sky Sports F1 broadcaster Martin Brundle, however, believes that Toto Wolff should stick to his current driver lineup rather than cough up sums north of $50 million to secure Verstappen’s signature.
“If you’ve got a future proof pairing like [George] Russell and [Kimi] Antonelli, you don’t need to spend north of fifty million on another driver,” he explained last year during the Italian GP weekend.
But 2016 F1 world champion, Nico Rosberg strongly disagreed. “I disagree. If Max is available, you pay for Max. Strongly,” he immediately rebutted. Given the kind of performances Verstappen is showcasing currently, Rosberg isn’t wrong about shelling out an insane amount of cash to bring the reigning champion on board.
At the 2025 Japanese GP weekend, Verstappen bagged a sensational pole position at the Suzuka International Circuit in the RB21, which has largely been the third-fastest car this season. Red Bull has been struggling with the concept of the RB21—and the balance issues have already ended Liam Lawson’s stint with the team.
Nico Rosberg after Martin brundle says Mercedes don’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
Even Verstappen had been struggling with understeer throughout practice sessions on Friday and Saturday in Suzuka. Moreover, his feedback about the RB21 only confirmed his staunch criticism of how difficult the car has been to drive of late.
Yet, the four-time world champion stamped his authority on the 2025 title fight with his 41st pole position, and his first since the 2024 Austrian GP—pipping the in-form McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Whether Verstappen does indeed leave the Bulls is something that might not happen until the end of the 2026 season. Paddock rumors suggest that the 27-year-old is already frustrated with the situation at the team, but Guenther Steiner believes that he will wait to see the team’s prospects with the 2026 regulations reset.
“I think he wants to see ’26 because if he takes a decision in ’25 – nobody knows what is coming in ’26, who is good, who is not good – so he could get it completely wrong,” said the former Haas F1 team boss on the Red Flags podcast.
If he does leave, Aston Martin and Mercedes are the likely destinations for the four-time world champion. However, he might even come true on his early retirement threats and quit F1 completely to pursue glory in other racing disciplines.
