When Lewis Hamilton first announced that he would move to Ferrari, one of the names that got linked to Mercedes as his replacement was Max Verstappen. And, Team Principal Toto Wolff never hid his desire to have the world champion on board. Verstappen recently admitted that there were talks.
Back in May, Verstappen’s entourage met up with Wolff, discussing a potential move.
“You always talk to each other, and I’m not lying that we sat together. That’s not a problem in itself, I think,” Verstappen told F1Maximaal.nl.
However, even during those discussions, the four-time world champion had made it clear to Wolff that he was not thinking of making a switch at that moment.
From what Verstappen said, the talks died down pretty soon. Wolff went on to sign 18-year-old Italian prodigy, Kimi Antonelli, for the second race seat at the Silver Arrows.
Many dubbed this as penance from the Austrian, who did not want to repeat the mistake of not signing a young Verstappen back in 2015.
Verstappen has kept the doors to Mercedes open for a future move
Wolff now has a driver lineup featuring George Russell and Antonelli, a pairing that could bring future success to the Brackley-based team. That said, Verstappen might have thrown a wrench in those plans by hinting at the possibility of moving to the team.
“I think everyone has always been very open and honest with each other, but on the other hand, I am also very loyal to my team. I just feel at home there, so there is not much to get at the moment. I’m still very young, so a lot can happen in the future,” Max said.
The Dutchman is someone who believes in the sanctity of his contract with Red Bull. But his team advisor, Helmut Marko, thinks that contracts don’t matter much in F1 — something he might practically demonstrate to Sergio Perez in the coming weeks if the paddock reports are to be trusted.
In any case, Verstappen, who is only 27 years old, might be persuaded to move to Mercedes if they can get their engine formula right in 2026, when the regulations change. Red Bull has a lot to worry about if the Dutchman decides to jump ship.
