Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull was thrown into question following the sacking of Christian Horner in July. Jos Verstappen has recently shed light on the extent of his discussions with Max over his future.
Mercedes emerged as the frontrunners to sign Verstappen due to the decreasing performance of the 2025 Red Bull car and the rumours of Mercedes building a superior engine for F1’s 2026 regulations.
It was a period of uncertainty for Red Bull following the departure of long-serving team principal, Horner. The team had also lost a number of key personnel over the last 18 months, and the Austrian constructor looked to have been a sinking ship.
In the end, Verstappen backed down from a Red Bull exit due to the expiration of his exit clause, which would have allowed him to explore options if he was outside of the top three drivers in the standings after the Belgian GP.
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Jos and Max Verstappen had ‘a lot’ of discussions regarding a Red Bull exit to Ferrari or Mercedes
In a rare sit-down interview with the Verstappens conducted by ViaPlay, Jos was asked about the extent to which he and Max discussed the actual possibility of swapping his Red Bull overalls for Mercedes ones ahead of the 2026 F1 season.
“A lot,” the 53-year-old replied. “It’s not that we’ve talked about it a lot just this year. This year, however, a little more than in previous years.
“So it was true, but there’s also a lot of nonsense that goes along with the rumours. But we’re also talking about Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull.
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“It’s logical. Max and I are discussing the possible options, and it’s the three big teams, apart from McLaren, that can welcome him.”
Jos himself may have been responsible for the Mercedes rumours, with many members of the Red Bull set-up believing that Verstappen Sr was tipping the press off to increase leverage for his son in future negotiations.
Another one of the key reasons for Verstappen’s backdown in exit talks was down to the fact that Red Bull has now agreed to let him leave freely in 2027. That way, the Dutchman can get a feel of the team’s direction of development in the new era of regulations and decide then if he wants to stay.
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Max Verstappen plays down talks of ‘secret’ meetings with Toto Wolff in Sardinia
One of the biggest catalysts for the rumours that linked Verstappen to Mercedes was the fact that he holidayed in close proximity to Toto Wolff in Sardinia during a three-week break from F1 in July.
Ralf Schumacher thought the excursion was ‘no coincidence’ when considering the time of it, but in the interview with ViaPlay, the 27-year-old dismissed them completely.
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“There’s no secret,” Verstappen clarified. “I even went to lunch with Toto and his family, and I think that’s perfectly allowed. We don’t even talk about Formula 1, that’s life.
“We had our boats next to each other because we slept in the same bay and during the day, we each went about our own business. But sometimes we get together and have good relationships. I think it’s good that it’s not just about competition.”
It certainly seems like Wolff’s pursuit of the four-time world champion isn’t anywhere close to ending, but as for the immediate future, Verstappen is locked in to continue racing for Red Bull until the end of the 2026 season.