Max Verstappen is at Red Bull Apparently no longer happy, rumors have long stayed with a move to Mercedes. The competition already has respect.
If a normally more aggressive, more accurate and successful person falls into open resignation like Verstappen, although the season does not even have a mountain festival, you should listen more closely. Before the Grand Prix of Silverstone in Great Britain (from Friday, 04.07.2025/all sessions in the live ticker at Sportschau.de), only eleven out of 24 races have been completed, two of these eleven races have won. But after the Disastrous Red Bull home game in the Austrian Spielberg, he said pretty badly in a moody: ““We don’t fight for the World Cup anyway.”
Crisis at Red Bull has been smoldering for a long time
The Dutch cleared the title for four years in a row that his statement could also serve to take some pressure from his team. But he is actually not a guy for played understatement. But: Apparently Verstappen really no longer believes in the potential of his RB21.
The team has long been crisis between Verstappen and Red Bull – not just sporty. Theoretically, the fact that the competition like McLaren, like McLaren, after four years with phases of total dominance, sometimes brings a better car to Verstappen.
But his burdened relationship with team boss Christian Horner is also known, if not even broken. The Mercedes, on the other hand, should be excellent and shaped by the greatest appreciation. Various media, especially in England, reported in the recent past of “Very intensive conversations” Between the two, however, nothing is documented.
Retiefs in the context of 116 million euros?
Should this spectacular change actually occur, which stood on a level with the still not dream marriage between Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, Mercedes would have to dig deep into the pocket. Not only because of the diping content, it would also be due. Sky Sport UK speculates with a total of 100 million pounds (116 million euros), which Mercedes would have to pay in order to buy the Dutch out of his contract until 2028 at Red Bull Racing.
Toto Wolff, the CEO from Formula 1 Mercedes team grins
The competition seems to take the whole thing seriously. And has enormous respect. McLaren team boss Zac Brown could actually be relaxed in view of the current dominance of his two pilots Lando Norris and Oscar Piatri, but Brown admits to ESPN: “Max Verstappen in a Mercedes – this is a fairly serious competition. That would really be a bit scary.”
Antonelli is supposed to be built – behind Verstappen?
Probably it would be pretty easy to clarify which Mercedes pilot would then replace. Since Kim Antonelli is to be built into the victory driver of the future at the age of 18 – although this would be exciting in a team with Verstappen – only the driver’s seat from George Russell remains realistically, who recently won the Grand Prix of Canada.
He also commented on the rumors at the media round in Silverstone, but still looked relatively calm. Russell: “Each team has to award two cockpits. It is normal for each team to check the options for the future. I don’t take it personally. I want to stay with Mercedes. I don’t think I will go somewhere else.”
“Toto Wolff never let me down”
Russell does not question the loyalty of the silver arrows. Team boss Toto Wolff never let him down: “He always gave me his word and does what the best for the team is.” There are many conversations behind the scenes that are not public. The 27-year-old denied the question of whether he himself spoke to other teams. However, it could be that this will soon be necessary with a view to his racing driving years from 2026.