Max Verstappen may struggle to hit top form in the Mercedes environment with the Silver Arrows not even guaranteed to be the F1 2026 standard.

That is the warning issued by F1 designer and pundit Gary Anderson, who is struggling to see the benefit of Verstappen joining Mercedes – as the rumour mill claims is possible – when the new chassis and engine regulations arrive from F1 2026.

Max Verstappen ‘not a Toto Wolff bloke’

The last time that Formula 1 introduced a major engine change – when the V6 turbo hybrids arrived in 2014 – it was Mercedes who came flying out of the blocks as the clear standard, creating intrigue over whether they can repeat the trick come F1 2026, plus speculation that four-time World Champion Verstappen could take the gamble of a shock switch from Red Bull to Mercedes.

However, Anderson is struggling to see how Mercedes will start F1 2026 with the undisputed leading power unit, meaning in his opinion, performance would not justify Verstappen stepping into a Mercedes environment which he warns will not suit the Dutchman.

Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan had suggested that Verstappen “surely will be waving goodbye” to Red Bull after F1 2025 if the season does not go to plan – Verstappen having won once in his last 12 grands prix after a dominant start to F1 2024 for driver and team – and the “most likely place for him to go will be Mercedes”.

With Jordan also pointing to the new engines as a key factor behind that thinking, Anderson responded: “You’ve got to assume that the engine party should be there. I mean, we know that in 2014 Mercedes did the best job when it came to the hybrid package.

“But the people who created that best job hybrid package are not there anymore. They’ve moved on to other roles with other teams.

“So we’ve got a situation where Mercedes may bring a best package again. I don’t see why, because now all the other engine manufacturers, including Red Bull technologies, have got a structure of people from other teams, all with input. So, you know, what’s the point in Max moving?

“He’s going to get paid well where he is. Yes, he’ll get paid well with Mercedes, but he’s going to have to take on a whole different attitude with the Mercedes philosophy.

“He’s not a Toto Wolff bloke. Max is a character, and Red Bull do bring in that bit of character to racing. And I think, for him, he’s in the right environment. Take him into another environment where he has to tool the mind a bit, I’m not so sure you’d see him being able to use himself correctly, exploit himself correctly.

“So I don’t see why he would move unless it’s definitely a dead duck at Red Bull, because, why should it be? They’ve got a big team, big budget, good people, all the stuff there to create a proper package.

“And it looks as though they’ve learned a little bit into this season on how the car works. So, as a team now trying to exist without Adrian [Newey], they’ve got to stand on their own two feet, and that’s not easy, but you only learn by your mistakes, and they made them, so hopefully they’ll sort of see it through and 2025 will be a decent year for them.”

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F1 2024 has so far featured seven different race winners – Verstappen joined by McLaren’s Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc, plus the Mercedes duo of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in that winners’ circle – setting the scene for a potential epic battle for Verstappen to make it five straight World Championship titles in F1 2025.

However, with Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and team principal Christian Horner having both admitted that a performance-related exit clause exists in Verstappen’s contract, that also increases the pressure on Red Bull to keep Verstappen in the F1 2025 title fight and ensure that his head is not turned by the likes of Mercedes.

And Anderson hopes to see Verstappen joined by Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari in the F1 2025 title battle.

“I want it to be a competitive year,” he said. “I want to see four teams with eight drivers all battling for those top 10 positions. Until the chequered flag comes out, I don’t want to know who’s going to be the winner. So let’s hope we get that.

“Does that mean that Max will be at the front of it or at the back of it? He could still be competitive and be finishing sixth, seventh, eighth. It’s just how the race unfolds.”

Verstappen’s Red Bull contract runs until the end of the 2028 season.

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