Max Verstappen has responded to growing speculation over a potential move to Mercedes, offering a carefully worded message about his F1 future.
However, within his comments was a telling five-word message of “I determine my own future”, with Verstappen, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, and Mercedes driver George Russell – out of contract after F1 2025 – all leaving the door open with their recent assessments.
Talk of Verstappen swapping Red Bull for Mercedes initially cropped up last season with Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari confirmed, as Wolff made it clear he would love to sign Verstappen as his and Red Bull’s dominance of Formula 1 began to wane.
No such move materialised, but Russell sparked the rumour mill back into life ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, telling Sky F1 that “ongoing” conversations are happening between Verstappen and Mercedes, with neither Russell nor team-mate Kimi Antonelli contracted to Mercedes beyond the end of the current season.
Wolff did not deny that such talks are happening, and has set a deadline of pre-summer break to determine the team’s line-up for F1 2026, when new chassis and engine regulations come into effect.
Verstappen also has not shut down the rumours about a Mercedes switch.
“I do not have to add much to that,” he told Viaplay.
“The more I say about it, the more it will be reported in the media. And I certainly do not want that.”
Verstappen is under contract at Red Bull until the end of 2028, but rumours of a potential departure are able to gain traction due to the existence of a performance-related exit clause in that deal.
It is believed that if Verstappen is outside the top four of the Drivers’ Championship after Hungary – the final round before the summer break – then the clause could be triggered.
Verstappen is currently P3 in the standings, nine points ahead of Russell and 36 points up on Charles Leclerc.
The reigning four-time World Champion may be staying tight-lipped on the Mercedes chatter, but he made it abundantly clear who is in the driver’s seat when it comes steering his F1 career.
“I determine my own future,” he declared.
Three rounds remain before the summer break – Silverstone, Spa and a visit to the renovated Hungaroring – after which Verstappen’s Championship position will be clear and could become crucial.
However, Wolff has indicated that he wants the Mercedes F1 2026 line-up decided before the summer break arrives.
Quizzed on the idea of a deadline for finalising Mercedes’ F1 2026 driver pairing, Wolff told media including PlanetF1.com in Austria: “You need to be respectable towards the stakeholders in all of that process.
“The organisation, the drivers, everybody, you need to understand the way forward.
“And I don’t want to be sadistic in letting a driver wait, not taking any decisions when it should be taken.
“So I feel we’re in a good space in June. Obviously, there’s lots of discussions around, and I’ve been open with it and transparent and at a certain stage, in the next couple of months – until the summer break, we need to know. Until the break, everything is going to be done.”
