Mar.24 (GMM) Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is trying to halt rumours that he’s already in talks with Max Verstappen about linking up for 2026 and beyond.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks he’s already seeing signs that the quadruple world champion could trigger an exit clause and jump ship as the current Red Bull crisis continues to unfold.
“Max is impatient, and rightly so,” the German told Sky Deutschland. “I wouldn’t want to be there to see what happens in that meeting,” Schumacher smiled.
“And I wouldn’t be surprised if there are already negotiations going on in the background. We’ll have to see what happens, but next year is a completely new car, a completely new engine. And they can’t even get this current combination made by Adrian Newey right.”
Verstappen, 8 points behind Lando Norris in the drivers’ standings, was not on the podium after the Chinese GP, nodding to Dutch reporters who asked him if he thinks Red Bull is already the “fourth team” behind McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
“It seems that way,” he said.
One journalist asked the 27-year-old if he has the motivation to help pull Red Bull out of its situation. “Yes, and I hear these conversations all the time,” he laughed.
“For me, nothing changes. In fact, I am very relaxed, very positive, I enjoy life. Every time I get into the car, I try to do the best I can.”
Verstappen has reportedly been offered an eye-wateringly lucrative package for a move to Aston Martin, but Dutch reporter Jack Plooij thinks a deal with Mercedes is basically a done deal.
“No reaction,” Mercedes boss Wolff told Sky Deutschland in Shanghai when faced with the latest Verstappen rumours.
“The silly season starts early this year, maybe now. We stand behind the decision we have made and our two drivers.”
Indeed, Wolff’s 18-year-old protege Kimi Antonelli is already impressing in Lewis Hamilton’s old race seat, and was voted ‘driver of the day’ on Sunday.
And that accolade was despite George Russell finishing on the podium for the second consecutive time so far in 2025. “Congratulations to him,” Russell said when he was told about Antonelli’s driver of the day.
Notably, however, 27-year-old Russell’s contract is up for renewal this year, although many insiders think that – alongside Verstappen – he has been arguably the stand-out driver of 2025 so far.
“He is delivering sensational performances,” Wolff agrees, “and it’s incredible by calm Kimi is driving at just 18 years of age. So nothing has changed.”
But when pressed about whether he would consider signing Verstappen for 2026, Wolff answered: “That question is not relevant now.
“There is no exchange there, and we stand by our drivers, and they’re both delivering sensationally.”
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