Mercedes chairman was worried he’d ‘sell his soul’ if he accepted Max Verstappen’s demands

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Max Verstappen reportedly held unsuccessful negotiations with Mercedes before they committed to George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for the 2027 season.

Russell recently said he was ‘100%’ sure that he would be a Mercedes driver next season after a period of speculation. He was the driver at risk in any Verstappen move after Kimi Antonelli’s stratospheric leap.

Indeed, reports suggest that Russell has secured his seat for another year, possibly through a performance clause in the contract he signed last season.

Ola Kallenius feared compromising his principles if he signed Max Verstappen

Speaking on the Motorsport IT YouTube channel, journalist Franco Nugnes reported that Verstappen held talks with Ola Kallenius, the Mercedes chairman.

The German manufacturer own a third of the F1 team, an equal shareholding to British businessman Jim Ratcliffe. Team principal Toto Wolff owns 28.3%, having sold some of his stake last year.

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According to Nugnes, Verstappen was willing to take a significant pay cut, down from €80m (£68m) to €50m (£43m), to make a move happen.

It’s previously been suggested that Verstappen’s salary at Red Bull, which makes him one of the best-paid athletes in the world, was too high for Mercedes’ structure.

However, Verstappen wanted a three-year contract, and Kallenius was keenly aware that his term as chairman ends in two years. He feared he would be ‘selling his soul’ by striking a deal that extended beyond this period.

Based on a matter of principle, the negotiations broke down, and Wolff sought ‘stability’ by committing to Russell and Antonelli.

With Ferrari also set to retain their driver line-up, Verstappen’s only alternative, should he wish to leave Red Bull, would be McLaren. But even then, Lando Norris and, more pertinently, Oscar Piastri are thought to be under contract.

Indeed, Nugnes says that anyone ‘talking about’ Verstappen joining the reigning world champions is ‘seeing ghosts’.