Is Vowles right to advise Mercedes against signing Verstappen? Our writers have their say

James Vowles caused quite the stir on Friday at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when the Williams Formula 1 boss suggested that Mercedes shouldn’t sign Max Verstappen.

The future of the four-time world champion is currently under question, as Red Bull has regressed since starting the 2024 Formula 1 season as the most dominant outfit.

Verstappen’s team is currently third in the 2025 standings, leading to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claiming he is worried about losing the Dutchman despite his contract running until the end of 2028.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner claimed the rumours are just “noise”, yet the “noise” is not going away with two teams emerging as possible landing spots for Verstappen: Aston Martin and Mercedes.

Aston Martin has just signed legendary designer and Verstappen’s former colleague Adrian Newey, while the long-term future of its driver Fernando Alonso is also in doubt considering he is 43 years old. 

Meanwhile, Verstappen has long been linked with Mercedes, including last year when it was searching for Lewis Hamilton’s replacement. 

Vowles said of the situation: “I don’t think anyone in the room would deny that he is extraordinary in what he can do, and Japan [Verstappen’s only win in 2025 to date] was, for me, jaw-dropping.

“Well done to him but he comes with a lot of downsides as well that we have to acknowledge and I think what Mercedes does have is a great culture with two drivers that are delivering near to the peak of the car, and with one that’s on the way up. So I personally don’t think that’s a place for him.”

So, should Mercedes tear up its stable and replace either George Russell or rookie hotshot Andrea Kimi Antonelli with Verstappen? Our writers have their say…

Verstappen is F1’s best driver but not worth the risk for Mercedes – Jake Boxall-Legge

James Vowles’ assessment of where Max Verstappen would fit into Mercedes’ future plans does appear to be eminently sensible; it’s hard to see where the four-time champion fits in at the team. Looking at it dispassionately, and drivers as nothing more than data sets and metrics, then you’d at least consider it – but only if you didn’t have drivers that were already doing an incredibly sterling job.

If you’re eight of the 10 teams on the grid, then yes, Verstappen should be on the wishlist. Red Bull should be throwing an Ikea showroom’s worth of kitchen sinks at keeping him happy, while Aston Martin would surely have sway given its investment and capture of Red Bull’s two previous big assets in Adrian Newey and Honda. But the Silverstone squad has Fernando Alonso under contract, while Lance Stroll will be at the team until the heat death of the universe. So, 2026 would be an optimistic call. 

Ferrari? Like Aston, it’s a difficult one; maybe it’s one for 2027. So it doesn’t exactly leave Verstappen with a plethora of options, even if he wanted to jump ship at the end of the year.

Mercedes would be risking a lot to take him. In George Russell, it has one of the star performers of the season so far; the Briton has picked up the team leader mantle with great gusto, and has been excellent in the opening four races.

In Andrea Kimi Antonelli, it has the next superstar; an 18-year-old rookie who has great flair and speed, but needs a couple of seasons to build a shell of battle-hardened experience around his prodigious talent. If the team is considering Verstappen, then it has to consider whether it would be happy to offload either driver. On the evidence of their seasons so far, and their expected trajectory in the next couple of years, it’s hard to see Toto Wolff ripping up his plans to bring Verstappen in. 

You’d gain F1’s best driver on the grid, but you’d potentially lose team harmony and alienate two drivers who – cliche alert – bleed silver. It would be a short-termist move for a team very much focused on the long term, and that’s why it doesn’t really fit.

Mercedes would be foolish to miss out on Verstappen for a third time – Ronald Vording

“Somehow I still have that feeling our paths will cross one day,” Toto Wolff said during a session for Dutch media in Zandvoort. The Mercedes team boss explained that he held talks with Max Verstappen until the summer break and added that the chance to sign him was “not zero”. Afterwards, Wolff emphasised that all focus is on the current line-up, as a good team boss should do.

But the quotes show that Wolff thought about signing Verstappen more than once during his F1 career. The story famously goes back to 2014, when Max was still in European F3 and the Verstappens were weighing up all their options to get into F1. Wolff preferred a learning year in F2, Red Bull offered an attractive shortcut to F1 using its sister team.

But, as Wolff said, paths may still cross one day and, looking at the current situation, that chance probably hasn’t reduced to zero just yet. Verstappen has the luxury of assessing all his options again. With his status as a four-time world champion, doors will probably open at Mercedes and Aston Martin if he wants to move, either towards 2026 or one year into the new set of regulations.

By then it’ll be clear who has the best package but, financially, making a move for 2026 can be interesting. If Mercedes turns out to be the dominant force in the new era, then Wolff doesn’t need to spend a fortune on drivers’ salaries any more. Now the pecking order is still an unknown, which in theory makes the bargaining position of Verstappen a bit stronger. Matching astronomical figures that circulate about Aston Martin might be difficult, but Verstappen already said that he’s not racing in F1 for the money. He simply wants to be in the best car. And getting the pay cheque out doesn’t have to be a problem for Mercedes either – given the backing from Daimler and the fact that drivers’ salaries aren’t included in the budget cap.

Of course, James Vowles has pointed to potential downsides, but Wolff knows the Verstappen family very well for a long time and is a more than capable manager. Any of the potential downsides that Vowles has mentioned don’t need to be an issue. And then two major advantages remain for Mercedes: signing Verstappen would secure the services of arguably the quickest and most consistent driver on the grid and offers very interesting PR opportunities for the brand. Weakening the opposition might be an extra reason for Wolff to consider it and try to make happen what didn’t work in 2014 or 2024.

Third time a charm? If even the slightest chance might come up, then Mercedes would be foolish not to go for it.