Overview
- Toto Wolff and Raymond Vermeulen confirmed that preliminary discussions have taken place between Mercedes and Max Verstappen’s camp.
- Christian Horner and Helmut Marko declined to rule out Verstappen leaving Red Bull despite his contract running through 2028.
- The timing of a potential move remains uncertain as talks could target either the 2026 regulations overhaul or the following season.
- A RacingNews365 poll found 42.9% of fans favor replacing George Russell with Verstappen, while 36.5% support maintaining Mercedes’ current lineup.
- McLaren CEO Zak Brown called the prospect of Verstappen in a Mercedes “pretty uncomfortable” and said he would prefer the driver to remain at Red Bull.