With Lewis Hamilton having confirmed at the beginning of last season that he will be leaving Mercedes after 12 long years, Toto Wolff was tasked with finding an adequate replacement — an almost impossible task. The first driver that the Austrian considered was obviously Max Verstappen, who won his third consecutive championship in 2023 after winning a record 19 Grands Prix that year.
With Wolff publicly having expressed his interest in signing Verstappen, speculations became rampant. And these gained further steam after Verstappen himself threatened to leave Red Bull amid the Christian Horner ‘inappropriate behavior’ saga.
The Dutchman made it clear that if Red Bull sacked advisor Helmut Marko, he would also leave the team. Fortunately for him, not only has Marko stayed but an independent barrister also exonerated Horner, and in the process returned the peace that Verstappen always wanted at Milton Keynes.
But with Red Bull dropping the ball in the second half of 2024 and Verstappen only winning two out of the last 14 races, the rumors resurfaced. Recently, F1 expert Jack Plooij has sensationally suggested on Ziggo Sport that Verstappen to Mercedes could really happen in 2026. Within a day of coming across this rumor, Jos Verstappen has vehemently dismissed it.
“Jack Jack Jack. What nonsense you talk,” wrote the Red Bull driver’s father on X in response to Ziggo Sport Racing’s post. Verstappen Sr. has been involved in his son’s racing career since day one, so he knows better than anyone what could be on the cards for the #1 driver’s future in F1.
Jack Jack Jack. Wat een onzin vertel jij
— Jos Verstappen (@MaVic009) March 8, 2025
Although Max has acknowledged that he held talks with Wolff last season, the 27-year-old made it clear that he had no intention of leaving Red Bull. That said, he cleverly also left the door open for a move in the future.
Max Verstappen knows he cannot place all his bets on Red Bull
Although Verstappen’s chances of retaining his championship already seem slim in 2025 with Red Bull having had an underwhelming pre-season test, it is next season and beyond that he is worried about.
With the 2026 regulations heavily focusing on engines and Mercedes being deemed the favorite to ace them, speculations still persist that Verstappen could consider joining them if he does not see much progress at Milton Keynes.
So, when asked about the links he had with Mercedes, the four-time champion ensured to point out last year that while he is committed to Red Bull for the moment, things could change in the future. He said, “I’m still very young, so a lot can happen in the future”.
However, a driver of Verstappen’s caliber need not worry too much about his future. With four world championships and 63 wins to his name at the age of just 27, almost all teams that can afford his signature will do everything they can to get him on board if he becomes available.
Considering the remarks Wolff has made in the past year, it seems a seat will always be available for him at Mercedes. Another team that is eager to sign the Dutchman is Aston Martin, with shocking reports emerging a few weeks earlier that the Silverstone-based outfit had offered him a whopping $1 billion deal.
