Boss of £3.1bn F1 team knows signing Max Verstappen would now ‘jeopardise his credibility’

Red Bull have Max Verstappen under contract through the 2028 Formula 1 season, yet the four-time defending champion still occupies a prominent role in the driver market.

Speculation is regularly rife with reports linking Verstappen with a move away from Red Bull, potentially even as soon as the 2026 F1 season. The 27-year-old might boast a long-term deal in Milton Keynes, but Verstappen’s £47m a year Red Bull contract contains exit clauses.

Verstappen could even leave Red Bull after the 2025 season if he were to fall outside the top three in the F1 drivers’ championship by this summer. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris rank 49 and 39 points clear of Verstappen, who sits 26 points clear of George Russell in fourth place.

One of the 65-time Grand Prix winner’s more likely landing spots if he were to leave Red Bull is Silverstone, as Aston Martin have a five-year £1bn contract ready for Verstappen. But they are not the only outfit to have shown an interest in tempting the Dutchman to switch teams.

Toto Wolff would ‘jeopardise his credibility’ if Mercedes sign Max Verstappen for 2026

Flavio Briatore would love Alpine to sign Verstappen, but other F1 teams are also monitoring his potential availability. Yet a move from Red Bull to Mercedes might not be on the table for the 43-time polesitter anymore, despite Toto Wolff’s public pursuit of Verstappen previously.

That is according to Bild, which reports that while Mercedes were the ‘hottest candidate’ to sign Verstappen in the past, the Brackley bunch have backed away from a deal for the 2026 season. Wolff also realises that Mercedes signing Verstappen will ‘jeopardise his credibility’.

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Questions persist over Mercedes’ driver line-up for the 2026 season, as Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are both out of contract at the end of 2025. But Wolff knows the pair are one of the best F1 driver partnerships, and has seen Russell step up to be their new team leader.

Bild also quotes Wolff stating that Mercedes and Russell will agree to a new contract for the 27-year-old ‘promptly’. So, if he were to now revive the Silver Arrows’ interest in Verstappen for 2026, Wolff would risk his reputation and face public calls to defend Mercedes’ decision.

Toto Wolff expected Max Verstappen’s agent to make contact about leaving Red Bull

Signing Verstappen could yield big financial advantages for the Silver Arrows, with Mercedes the second-most valuable F1 team at £3.1bn behind Ferrari at £3.8bn. Red Bull rank in third place at £2.7bn, and they could see that position take a hit if Verstappen were to walk away.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

Also, Wolff expected Verstappen’s agent would contact Mercedes about a seat for the 2026 season, which would prove hard for the Silver Arrows’ team principal, CEO and part-owner to reject. But Russell has shown he can now lead Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton joined Ferrari.

So, Mercedes have seemingly backed away from any swoop, and Verstappen is expected to stay at Red Bull in 2026 now, as well. Russell has scored 111 of Mercedes’ 159 points so far this season, while taking podiums with P2 in Bahrain plus P3 in Australia, China and Miami.