Max Verstappen’s Hopes of Joining Mercedes Now Appear ‘Out of the Question’ After Toto Wolff’s Final Attempt to Secure the Deal Is Ruled Out – What’s Behind This Sudden Shift in Plans?

Although official confirmation hasn’t arrived yet, Max Verstappen is looking increasingly likely to remain a Red Bull Racing driver in 2026.

The Belgian Grand Prix brought some joy for Red Bull and Max Verstappen on a weekend that was expected to be dominated by McLaren.

Verstappen outqualified Lando Norris for Saturday’s Sprint Race, and got the run on Oscar Piastri to win the shortened event at Spa in front of thousands of Dutch fans.

New team principal Laurent Mekies apologised to Verstappen after Sunday’s Grand Prix, as he started where he finished in fourth.

He couldn’t find a way past Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, and the two McLarens were in a different league compared to the rest of the field.

The four-time world champion’s future has been one of the most widely discussed topics in Formula 1 this season.

Mercedes have been heavily linked with Verstappen, but his contract runs until the end of 2028, which makes any deal very difficult to negotiate.

However, the result of the race in Spa appears to have categorically closed off any chance of Verstappen blowing the Formula 1 driver market wide open with a sensational move down the paddock.

Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Mercedes buying Max Verstappen out of his Red Bull contract is now ‘out of the question’

A report from the Dutch outlet De Telegraaf has shared more details about the Dutchman’s future.

It’s believed that Verstappen has a get-out clause in his Red Bull contract that would allow him to negotiate with other teams if he was below the top three in the drivers’ championship heading into the summer break.

However, with Verstappen finishing ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell, the gap between the two drivers has grown to 28 points.

This means that Russell cannot score enough points to leapfrog Verstappen in the drivers’ championship at the final race before the summer break in Hungary.

It’s now been reported that Verstappen leaving without activating the clause is ‘out of the question’.

This would require him to formally tell Red Bull he wants to depart, and Mercedes spending a fortune buying him out the remainder of his contract.

Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, wouldn’t comment at the Belgian Grand Prix when asked about any performance clauses in the contract, ‘pointing to Verstappen’s ongoing commitment to Red Bull’.

While the report goes on to say that the talk behind the scenes about Mercedes’ 2026 engine is ‘positive’, there are still no guarantees that they’ll be the leading force on the grid next season.

Frederic Vasseur makes Max Verstappen prediction for the 2025 Formula 1 season

Verstappen is now 81 points behind Piastri in the drivers’ championship, and it would require the greatest comeback in Formula 1 history for him to win a fifth consecutive title.

Instead, his battle is likely to be with Russell and the two Ferrari drivers behind him.

Ferrari brought new updates to Spa, and they seemed to have a positive impact on Leclerc, as he was able to hold off Verstappen throughout the race.

If that trend continues, then Leclerc and Hamilton will have ambitions of being the best of the rest behind the McLarens and ahead of Verstappen.

Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur has made a ‘battling’ Verstappen prediction for the rest of the season, and while Red Bull chiefs will want to deliver a race-winning car for the Dutchman, they will be breathing a sigh of relief that his future finally appears to be sorted.