Max Verstappen hasn’t ruled out driving for Mercedes in the future after Toto Wolff admitted he’d ‘love’ to have the three-time world champion at his team.
The Dutchman’s future at Red Bull has been thrown into doubt after the Christian Horner‘s ‘sex texts’ scandal rocked Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton‘s move to Ferrari in 2025 leaves open a seat at Mercedes and after watching Verstappen win the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Wolff claimed ‘there is no team that wouldn’t do handstands to have him in the car.’
Verstappen, 26, is contracted to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season and responded to Wolff’s comments ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
‘It doesn’t have any impact on me on what I would do. It’s always nice to hear that,’ he said.
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World champion Max Verstappen (right) has not ruled out a switch from Red Bull to Mercedes following Christian Horner’s (left) ‘sex texts’ scandal
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admitted he’d ‘love’ to sign Verstappen for his team
Verstappen and Wolff are pictured together at a Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi back in 2014
‘Toto and I, we had our little moments but that’s normal between two teams battling for the championship. But the respect has always been there.
‘From my side, it doesn’t change anything.’
Pushed on whether he would ever join Mercedes, Verstappen added: ‘I don’t know. I don’t know what happens after 2028. I don’t know if I’m going to stay in F1 or continue to sign a new deal. I don’t know that.’
Mail Sport reported earlier this month that Max and his father Jos Verstappen are determined to move away from Horner, who remains in position after being cleared of ‘coercive behaviour’ towards a female employee.
Horner also made clear at the Saudi race that ‘no individual is bigger than the team.’
A well-placed source talked of the possibility of a domino effect starting with Verstappen going to Mercedes this season, Hamilton moving to Ferrari early in place of Carlos Sainz, and Fernando Alonso signing for Red Bull.
However, for that to come to pass several huge contracts would need to be untied.
There are break clauses in Verstappen’s Red Bull deal, including one that would be triggered if his mentor and the team’s adviser Helmut Marko left.
Verstappen has had years of success with Red Bull but Mail Sport understands he and his father are determined to move away from Christian Horner
Red Bull have been rocked by allegations of inappropriate behaviour and sexual messaging from team principal Christian Horner by a female employee
Wolff said: ‘Let’s word it like this: It is a decision that Max needs to take and there is no team up and down the grid who wouldn’t do handstands to have him in their car.’
In the meantime, Verstappen, who can equal his own record of 10 consecutive wins if he finishes top of the podium in Melbourne this weekend, also spoke of Red Bull as a ‘second family.’
He said: ‘I’ve always felt comfortable [at Red Bull] because for me it’s like a second family.
‘In a family, there might sometimes be, how would you say, not disagreements, but in families you can’t choose family, you can choose friends.
‘But, no it’s good. For me, it’s been the same. We just focus on the performance.
‘I would like the chat to be a bit more about the great car we have but hopefully that will come slowly.’
