This would be quite a move for Verstappen
Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 campaign. But should he be?
Red Bull have struggled to provide the Dutchman with a car capable of winning races, let alone championships for the entire first half of the season.
Even when the 28-year-old does manage to drag his RB22 across the line in a respectable position, he appears more shocked than proud of the progress the energy drink giants have made since the start of the new regulations era.
At the Hungarian Grand Prix last time out, Verstappen drove from P4 to finish the 70-lap affair in second place, telling media after completing his impressive drive: “I was just like, ‘How the hell did I end up here?’ I was shocked. I’m actually still shocked.”
It has been suggested that the Red Bull star could announce his decision over whether to stay with his current team or not next season at the upcoming Dutch GP, but until he reveals his decision, the paddock is free to wonder what he could achieve elsewhere on the grid.
Why Mercedes is still attractive to Verstappen
In her first public appearance in front of the microphone since her shock departure from Sky Sports, F1 reporter and author Rachel Brookes laid all her silly season predictions bare, explaining why she feels Mercedes could still be an option for Verstappen.
“I still think Max is looking for an exit,” she said on the Essential F1 podcast.
“Yes, he’s showing us all what he can do right now, and we’re all impressed. We’re saying, ‘Max is amazing,’ because he is. But he wants to be winning again.
“He doesn’t want to have to show that he can take a car that should be 10th up to second. He wants to win races again. As easy as it might have looked for him before, he still wants to win. He still wants to have a trophy at home.”
Brookes then pointed to the concerning number of staff who were present at the squad for Verstappen’s championship-winning years having now left the Milton Keynes outfit, saying: “With all the people who have left Red Bull as well, with Michael Manning the latest to go, I still feel he’s looking around going, ‘I’ve done my time. I’ve given you everything I possibly can, and now I want to go somewhere where I can win again.’”
When asked which team she thought Verstappen could be most tempted by, Brookes doubled down on her opinion that a Mercedes move is still on the table for the Dutchman.
“Let’s throw it out there. I feel that Max would still go to Mercedes. I think Max will go to Mercedes alongside Antonelli.
Brookes then shared how such a monumental poaching for Toto Wolffwould impact the rest of next year’s grid, giving her predictions for the 2027 F1 driver lineups.
“Ferrari will be Charles and Lewis. Red Bull will be Hadjar and Piastri. I think McLaren is potentially Norris and Russell, all-British lineup. I think Fernando [Alonso] will go to Alpine next year. I think Sainz will go to Audi,” she began.
“I think Colapinto will go back to Williams and I have [Leonardo] Fornaroli getting onto the grid, but I’m not 100 per cent sure where yet. That’s my lot. I think I’ve thrown enough curveballs out there.”
Brookes then explained her thinking on why Wolff’s outfit remain an attractive proposition for the four-time champion, explaining: “I think Max to Mercedes, it’s just in my head still. Toto missed out on him before, I think that still bugs him. I think he would feel like that was a massive coup to get him from Red Bull now.
“I also think Max would really love to go up against Kimi Antonelli…it would be amazing, because Max knows he’s incredibly talented. He doesn’t have to worry about anyone else. He knows he’s the best.
“I totally see Max still going to Mercedes. I know Toto has said, ‘no, he wanted too much money or wanted three years’, or whatever it was, but I still see it happening,” concluded the ex-Sky F1 reporter.
