Max Verstappen’s Red Bull exit talks shock F1: but Mercedes link fades fast

Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future in flux as Mercedes link collapses

Max Verstappen is openly weighing a Red Bull exit, but the biggest surprise isn’t where he might go: it’s where he’s *not* going. Mercedes, long rumored as his next stop, have vanished from the equation for 2027 despite both teams facing driver contract upheaval.

The four-time Formula 1 world champion remains on the market as Red Bull struggles to keep him happy, with McLaren confirmed as a potential destination. Yet for the first time in years, Mercedes aren’t in the mix: a stunning shift after their public flirtation since 2024. George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are both locked in through 2026, which once looked like an open door for Verstappen. Now that rumor is dead in the water, per GPBlog.

How Mercedes almost signed Verstappen in 2014

Long before today’s rumors, Mercedes’ top brass revealed how close they came to landing Verstappen a decade ago. In 2019, Toto Wolff, the team’s CEO and team principal, said he met Jos Verstappen and his son Max in 2014 to discuss a Mercedes junior move.

Wolff explained: “I offered a free seat in Formula 2 and a guaranteed Formula 1 seat the following year. If we couldn’t do F1, he was free to go.” Helmut Marko later stepped in to give Verstappen that Red Bull seat instead. Wolff added: “I haven’t got Max’s number and I’ve never spoken to him on the phone. As Max rightly said, I’ve known Jos for a long time.”

Silverstone 2021 broke the Verstappen-Wolff bond

That friendship cracked in July 2021 during one of F1’s fiercest title fights. At Silverstone, Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen collided at Copse, sending the Dutchman into the wall at 51G and into the medical car. Jos Verstappen said days later: “You don’t celebrate a victory like that if your colleague is still in hospital.”

Toto Wolff didn’t call. The rift lasted until May 2022, when Jos confirmed their first post-Silverstone chat in the paddock. “That was the first contact I’ve had with Toto since Silverstone 2021,” he said on 3 May 2022.

Wolff’s pursuit after Hamilton’s Ferrari move

The next twist came after Lewis Hamilton announced his Ferrari switch in early 2025. Wolff’s relentless pursuit of Verstappen reignited, but the timing never aligned. By mid-2026, with Hamilton gone and both Mercedes drivers on expiring deals, the door seemed ajar: yet it slammed shut.

GPBlog reports the Mercedes option is now “on ice,” ending a flirtation that once felt inevitable. For Verstappen, the question isn’t just where he races next: it’s whether Red Bull can still keep him after years of tension.