30/08/2025 08:30
Max Verstappen and his father, Jos, have revealed that they
discussed a potential move to Mercedes at great length between
themselves – and not just this year. The four-time world champion
spent much of the first half of the season addressing speculation
about his future for 2026, with persistent rumours linking him to
Mercedes. These rumours intensified when George Russell, speaking
during media day at the Austrian Grand Prix, confirmed that
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had been in talks with the Red Bull star –
delaying Russell's own contract negotiations. Ultimately, Max
confirmed before the summer break in Hungary that he would remain
with Red Bull for at least next season, committing to the Austrian
team for the first year of the new power unit regulations. In an
exclusive interview with Viaplay , Max and Jos agreed they had
discussed the future in great depth. "Also a lot" Jos replied, when
asked how long the duo spent speaking about Mercedes. "It's not
that we only talk about it a lot this year. "This year,
nevertheless, a bit more than the years before. Also a lot of
nonsense comes along [with the rumours]. But we also talk about
Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. That makes sense." There had been
speculation that Verstappen was considering a move to Mercedes for
the new regulations due to expectations it will transition well
into the new era of the sport, whilst Red Bull will supply its own
power units for the first time. In the end, Verstappen made the
final decision on where he wants to be next year, though he did
hold discussions with his father and manager, Raymond Vermeulen. "I
have to choose for myself what I want," said Max, to which Jos
added: "We always talk about it with Raymond Vermeulen, Max and
myself, but he makes the final decision." Max continued: "It's
obviously a close-knit group together. We also talk about a lot of
things outside of Formula 1, but important decisions are of course
always gone through thoroughly."
