By: Over the past year and a half, Max Verstappen has repeatedly been linked with Mercedes. Last year, there was even a period when the partnership appeared as though it could become reality. The matter resurfaced intermittently in 2026, although perhaps never with the same intensity as it likely did in 2025. Then, around ten days ago, the Dutchman’s contract extension with Red Bull until 2030 brought everything to a halt.
Verstappen, a king without limits
The Milton Keynes-based team did everything it could to keep him. It promised him money, but above all it will allow him to take part in any races and competitions he wishes. Red Bull has made Verstappen a privileged figure. A king without any kind of limitation.
The Austrian outfit applied pressure in all the right places, but it is not the only team capable of meeting such demands. As team principal Toto Wolff himself points out, Mercedes has made accommodating its drivers’ wishes one of its greatest strengths.
His time with Lewis Hamilton proves it: “He organised a fashion show in Hong Kong, where he video-called us to say he was grateful to Mercedes for changing supplier, moving from Boss to Hilfiger, which allowed him to have his own collection. Then he flew from Hong Kong to Los Angeles. Niki Lauda told me: ‘I can’t understand why we allow it. We race in Singapore next week’,” recalls the Mercedes co-owner with a hint of melancholy.
Drivers’ wishes are sacred at Mercedes too
The wishes of its drivers are sacred to the Stuttgart-based team. According to Wolff, it is essential for the team’s representatives to be happy, provided they remain competitive and capable of delivering the results required of them over a race weekend.
Commenting on the Dutchman’s decision in an interview published by ‘GPBlog.com’, the manager of the team based in Brackley and Brixworth added: “Max Verstappen is certainly different from Hamilton, just as he is from Antonelli, Russell or Bottas. At Red Bull, he has found the right environment in which to work and, so far, it has worked well.”
The Austrian’s words carry the awareness of someone who tried, then allowed himself to be guided by a bigger plan. Mercedes is now placing great faith in Antonelli, the young driver it has nurtured and who could mark an important chapter in the team’s history. Wolff believes in a project of inestimable value and may even have lost interest in putting Max behind the wheel of one of his cars. Perhaps the time was not yet right for Verstappen and Mercedes.
Photo: Red Bull Racing
