As expected, the ‘will he, won’t he’ of the Dutchman’s future just about dominated proceedings as the British Grand Prix weekend got underway.
While Verstappen rigorously batted away even the merest hint of a question, everyone else and his dog was only too willing to share their thoughts.
Lewis Hamilton believes his former team would be a good move for the four-time world champion.
“If someone, anyone, was going to ask me about Mercedes, it’s an amazing team,” he told reporters, “also along with the passion, they’ve got great personnel, a great factory, a great environment to work in.
“I’ll be interested to see what happens,” he added.
The Ferrari driver took the opportunity to admit regret at a comment he previously made about Verstappen’s current team.
“He’s coming from a great team,” said the Briton, “and I think many, many years ago I was asked about Red Bull, I think I was just so diehard Mercedes at the time, and I remember saying something about Red Bull being only a drinks company.
“I always regretted it because I was just saying that because Mercedes at the time was just great. I was really just trying to gee up my team, but the truth is Red Bull have been an incredible team. There’s so many people there that are exceptional and they’ve dominated for years.”
At the team representatives press conference, where Christian Horner was facing the media, it was obvious that Verstappen’s future would be the main topic.
“There’s obviously an awful lot of people talking about it, but what’s most important is the relationship between the driver and the team,” said the Red Bull boss. “There’s an agreement that defines that as well and everybody’s very clear on where we’re at.
“Max has been with Red Bull since the very start of his career. All his successes came in Red Bull Racing cars. He’s a big part of our team and he has a great deal of faith in the team and the people around him. So, whilst there’s always going to be speculation and noise, I think we all sit fairly comfortable with where we’re at and what the situation is. We can’t control the narrative of others but internally, we know where we’re at.”
Asked about the clauses in his contract that would allow Verstappen to walk away from the team well ahead 2029 as is currently agreed, Horner said: “With any driver’s contract, there is an element of a performance mechanism, and of course that exists within Max’s contract. His intention is that he will be there and driving for us in 2026.
“It’s inevitable that he’s of huge interest to any other team in the pit lane,” he continued. “Actually, probably George triggered all this speculation, probably trying to leverage his own situation and force clarity, which you can understand because he’s driven a very good season as well this year.
“But inevitably, there will always be speculation about it. I think the most important thing is the clarity that exists between Max and the team, and that’s very clear.”
Asked of the potential for a straightforward swap, Verstappen to Mercedes, Russell to Red Bull, Horner replied: “It’s remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven’t engaged in any discussion with George. So, he’s obviously pretty confident that he’s going to get to retain where he is.”
With that in mind, when asked if Red Bull has a Plan B, Horner joked: “Oscar Piastri… it’s all as subjective as that.
“We’re very focused on our current drivers and the relationship,” he quickly added. “Max has got a contract until 2028. He’s made it quite clear that he would like to finish his career in a Red Bull car from start to finish.
“I think that’s quite special and unique for him. That’s what we’re focused on. We’re just ignoring the noise and focusing on the areas we know where we need to improve and how to do that.
“26 is going to be a transformational year,” he continued. “It’s the biggest rule change in Formula 1 probably in the last fifty years where both chassis and power unit are being introduced at the same time. Nobody, with hand on heart, can know what the pecking order is going to be.
“It could be either one of these gentlemen either side of me,” he said, referring to Zak Brown and Andy Cowell. “It could be Ferrari. It could be Mercedes. It could be anyone.
“There’s an awful lot of subjectiveness to 2026, and it’ll only be really this time next year that you’ll have a clear indication of what that pecking order is. So, there are no guarantees that jumping into a Mercedes car would automatically be a better proposition.”
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