Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen is one signature away from blowing the Formula 1 driver market wide open.
Max Verstappen has four drivers’ championships under his belt, but his run of titles will almost certainly end in 2025.
Oscar Piastri is 69 points clear of Verstappen at the halfway stage of the 2025 season, and there are no signs that Red Bull are going to suddenly develop an advantage over McLaren.
A number of factors have seen Verstappen privately wondering whether he should continue at Red Bull beyond this season.
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 234 2 226 3 165 4 147 5 119 6 103 7 63 8 46 9 37 10 23
Mercedes are very interested in signing Verstappen, but no agreement has been reached.
Toto Wolff has chased Verstappen for over a decade, and this year appears to be the Silver Arrows’ best chance of securing the Dutchman’s signature since he made his Formula 1 debut.
That creates another conundrum for Mercedes if suddenly Verstappen manages to activate a get-out clause in his contract and switches teams for 2026.
Either George Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli needs to make way for the Dutchman, and Juan Pablo Montoya has explained what he thinks could happen if Mercedes sign their first-choice driver next season.
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Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesJuan Pablo Montoya thinks Red Bull could sign Carlos Sainz to replace Max Verstappen
Montoya was speaking about the driver market on the MontoyAS Podcast, and explained how new Williams driver Carlos Sainz could somehow be dragged into the conversation.
He said: “Look, if Max leaves and they don’t get rid of George, Red Bull will probably sign Sainz. And then, they will put Kimi in Williams.
“This will give Antonelli time to develop like they did with George.
“I think they had the option of bringing in Carlos, but Max didn’t want Carlos as a partner.
Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images
“That’s the only thing, I believe that Max was not given the option or the right to say who he wants as a Mercedes teammate.
“That’s the only thing I don’t think he will get, that he does get at Red Bull.
“Ultimately, we’re trying to guess what we think is going to happen.
“What will be interesting is whether there is a change or not, and the number of seats that will move around whenever it happens.”
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Why Carlos Sainz was glad Red Bull didn’t try to sign him for the 2025 Formula 1 season
Throughout the 2024 season, Sainz’s future and the identity of Verstappen’s Red Bull teammate were two widely discussed topics of conversation.
Sainz knew he had lost his seat to Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari and had a plethora of options to choose from.
Guenther Steiner wonders if Sainz regrets turning down Sauber for Williams, but it appears as though Red Bull was never an option.
TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN/AN/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN/AN/ARacing BullsN/AN/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers
Even though Red Bull agreed a new contract with Sergio Perez, it was clear by the end of the season that he wasn’t driving at the required level for a championship-chasing team.
However, Sainz never seemed to be in the frame to replace Perez despite his availability and his impressive record in F1, with four victories and 27 podiums to his name.
Sainz has explained why he’s glad Red Bull didn’t approach him, but Montoya thinks Laurent Mekies’ team might consider the Spaniard again if Russell isn’t available to replace Verstappen.