Red Bull team principal Christian Horner opened up about Max Verstappen‘s potential move to Mercedes in 2026, revealing why it wouldn’t be a good idea considering the big reset in the regulations next year.
Verstappen has pledged his loyalty to Red Bull, ruling out an exit next year. Despite his contract expiring at the end of 2028, rumors are doing the rounds about the uncertainty that still prevails, given the performance concerns surrounding Red Bull’s RB21 F1 car.
The four-time world champion is third in the championship standings below McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, which is a first in the last two years. What adds to the speculation is the claim made by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. Though he clarified that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli would form the driver lineup next year, he made it clear that Verstappen was on his radar for the long term.
F1 will enter a new era of regulations in 2026, when new cars will take to the track, replacing the current ground effect era cars. Apart from being smaller and lighter, they will be powered by an equal ratio of internal combustion and electric power.
The power units are entirely new, and for the first time, Red Bull will produce engines for the 2026 car in collaboration with Ford under the Red Bull Powertrains brand. Horner acknowledged that developing the new engines would be a first for all teams, making it difficult to predict the pecking order.
As a result, Verstappen’s potential move to Mercedes in 2026 could be a big gamble if Mercedes’ engines turn out to be slower than the others. When asked if swapping Verstappen for Russell was on the cards, Horner told the media during the British Grand Prix at Silverstone:
“It’s remarkable that George is still on the market. We haven’t engaged in any discussion with George.
“He’s obviously pretty confident that he’s going to get to retain where he is, but we’ve got strength in depth within our team.
“You can see the Racing Bulls drivers, you can see [Arvid] Lindblad that we’re running in [FP1] and 2026 is going to be a transformational year.”
Speaking about 2026, he continued:
“It’s the biggest rule change in Formula 1, probably in the last 50 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 [McLaren or Aston Martin], or 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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