Max Verstappen warned against believing in ‘miracle cure’ for Mercedes ‘nightmare’ to justify Red Bull exit

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Red Bull might have resolved one saga after sacking Christian Horner, but they are still facing the prospect of Max Verstappen leaving the F1 team to join Mercedes for 2026.

The Milton Keynes squad have almost been in turmoil over the past 18 months with Horner engaged in a fight for power that Red Bull have now finished. The Briton was removed from his operational duties as their F1 team principal and CEO last week after 20 years in charge.

Red Bull sacked Horner without telling him why he was being put on gardening leave, as the two sides now negotiate a severance package to terminate his contract through the 2030 F1 season. Red Bull will hope that axing Horner will also help them to keep Verstappen in 2026.

While Verstappen’s £47m-a-year Red Bull contract runs through 2028, his deal also features an array of release clauses that could free the 27-year-old. Mercedes are very keen to move for Verstappen if he ditches Red Bull, which the Dutchman could do at the close of this year.

Tom Coronel questions why Max Verstappen would join Mercedes due to their 2026 rules engine

The Silver Arrows can swoop for the four-time defending F1 drivers’ championship winner if he ranks outside of the top three in the 2025 standings at the summer break. It is even said that Verstappen has provisionally agreed a deal to join Mercedes from the new regulations.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Yet Tom Coronel cannot understand why Verstappen would leave Red Bull due to the widely-held belief that Mercedes will have the best 2026 F1 rules engine. It is also thought that Red Bull will struggle next season, given they are building their own power unit for the first time.

“No, he’s not going to Mercedes,” Coronel has told RacingNews365. “Reading all the hype at the moment and everything I see on social media, I couldn’t imagine it. Why would he want to go to Mercedes? I don’t understand it. He has a fantastic contract with Red Bull.

“Nobody knows who will be good in 2026. Will that Mercedes be more competitive then? The Mercedes has been a nightmare car for the past three years, so why are we suddenly going to pretend it’s a miracle cure?”

Red Bull are expected to have one of the worst, if not the worst, 2026 F1 rules engines

Mercedes are widely backed to lead the pack under the 2026 F1 power unit rules, which will feature a 50/50 split between electrical and combustion energy. On the other hand, Red Bull are set to have one of the worst 2026 F1 rules engines with Audi and also potentially Ferrari.

The power units play a major role in the 2026 F1 regulations and even dictated the design of next year’s technical regulations to boast active aerodynamics to allow for the 30% increase in electrical power. Whichever team gets their engine right will likely enjoy a big advantage.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Red Bull face a lot of question marks over their 2026 power unit as they have never built an engine before. Horner even set a lot of their plans in motion for their engine as the head of Red Bull Powertrains, which was his brainchild after Honda initially elected to pull out of F1.

Honda later agreed to stay involved in F1 due to the 2026 regulations, yet will leave Red Bull for Aston Martin. So, Red Bull struck a partnership with Ford to exploit the American brand’s expertise in hybrid technologies. Yet a Red Bull-Ford unit may not be enough for Verstappen.