Mercedes confirm interest in signing Red Bull champ Verstappen
The world champion had been subject to interest in a Mercedes move last year too
Red Bull Racing could lose world champion Max Verstappen to Mercedes next season.
The Dutchman sits third in the championship standings this season behind the pace-setting McLarens, and was followed the pair in free practice in the Austrian Grand Prix on Friday, but the subject of his future was the talk of the Styrian hills.
Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda was seventh fastest, +0.712 behind the McLarens.
Mercedes could potentially have a seat available next season with George Russell, who won last time out in Canada, out of contract at the end of 2025. The Brit told Sky Sports “talks with Max are ongoing” behind the scenes as team principal Toto Wolff looks at the future of the team who have not won a world championship since 2020.
Verstappen only added fuel to the fire on Thursday when he refused to commit his future definitively to Red Bull in 2026.
In the team principal’s press conference, Wolff admitted there have been no new developments with regards to an extension to Russell’s contract, and said it is only natural to be looking at what else is available.
“I think we are very transparent in the team of what we do, what we plan,” he said. “We've been like that since I was being put in charge of that. So that's not the issue. And at the moment, clearly, you need to explore what's happening in the future.
“I want to just have the conversations behind closed doors, not town halls. And we have two drivers that have been in our programme since a long time, drivers that I'm perfectly happy to have, drivers that will do great in the future of the team. So it's a bit different, the situation.”
Verstappen remains under contract with Tilbrook-based Red Bull until 2028, but it is understood clauses are in place to allow him to leave if certain criteria are not met.