Overview

• According to multiple Formula 1 insiders, Verstappen is poised to invoke a 2026 exit clause in his Red Bull contract to join Mercedes pending board approval.
• His current deal with Red Bull runs until 2028 but includes a performance-based clause that could free him next season.
• A move to Mercedes would likely displace George Russell, whose contract expires at the end of 2025, and pair Verstappen with rookie Kimi Antonelli.
• Team principal Toto Wolff has courted Verstappen since 2014, beginning with efforts to bring him into the Mercedes junior driver program.
• Mercedes’s interest is driven by confidence that the 2026 engine and aerodynamic regulations will significantly boost its competitiveness.