Max Verstappen has addressed the chances of seeing him drive for a team other than Red Bull before the end of his current contract amid long-standing interest from Mercedes
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Max Verstappen has confirmed he has no intentions of changing teams ‘at this point in time’, dashing Mercedes’ aspirations of bringing him to Brackley. Toto Wolff has been chasing the four-time world champion’s signature since Lewis Hamilton ended his Mercedes career in 2024.
Verstappen remains tied to Red Bull until the conclusion of the 2028 season and has made clear his ambition to finish his F1 journey with the Milton Keynes outfit. Yet, during the peak of Red Bull’s internal chaos and performance difficulties last year, speculation emerged that he might depart the team.
The 28 year old admitted to holding discussions with Mercedes leadership, and team principal Wolff made no secret of his ambition to bring the 71-time Grand Prix victor into the Silver Arrows’ fold.
Verstappen ultimately decided to remain, backing new boss Laurent Mekies to guide the operation in the proper direction. Nevertheless, with fresh technical regulations taking effect for the 2026 season, the battle for the Dutchman’s services is anticipated to intensify this year, with almost three-quarters of the grid facing contract expiry in December.
According to the Dutchman, however, Mercedes may be wasting their efforts. Discussing his future plans with Blick, Verstappen stated: “I’m 28 now, and I have a contract with Red Bull until 2028..
“I want to fulfil that contract. At this point in time, I’m ruling out a change of team. It’s a shame that my friend and mentor Helmut Marko won’t be by my side in 2026. I’ll miss him.”
When pressed on whether he’d definitely be retired by 40, he responded: “You can bet on it. At 40, I might still be in the pits as team boss in another series.”
Whilst Verstappen believes Milton Keynes is his best option right now, that could shift rapidly if the season begins and Red Bull find themselves languishing in the midfield or lower. The four-time world champion has been clear that he requires competitive machinery to remain with Mekies’ outfit.
Just how competitive Red Bull will prove to be remains uncertain. When questioned about the hierarchy, he said: “The same question is even harder to answer for 2026. None of us have any idea about the new car or the engine.
“I think that during the first tests in Barcelona starting on 26 January, we’ll be spending more time in the garages than out on the track. Hopefully, we’ll all be a bit wiser after the two tests in Bahrain in February.”