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.