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Mercedes gifted George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli new contracts to lead them into F1’s 2026 regulations era, but only once Max Verstappen could not leave Red Bull.
The Silver Arrows had decisions to make concerning their drivers for the 2026 F1 season, as Russell and Antonelli were set to be out of contract at the end of 2025. Mercedes ultimately gave the pair fresh deals in October that will keep them in Brackley for at least another year.
Mercedes mulled their alternative options before Russell and Antonelli put pen to paper on their new contracts, though. Russell confirmed that Mercedes held talks with Verstappen in 2025, as team boss Toto Wolff sought to learn whether the Dutchman could leave Red Bull.
Wolff has long sought to sign Verstappen for Mercedes after missing out on his signature to Red Bull before he debuted in F1. But the Dutchman needed to hit the 2025 summer break outside the top three in the F1 drivers’ standings to activate a release clause in his contract.
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Max Verstappen’s loyalty to Red Bull means a move to Mercedes is ‘impossible’
Verstappen ultimately entered the summer sat third in the 2025 standings, which meant he had to stay at Red Bull in 2026 unless a rival team bought out his contract. The four-time F1 champion could yet leave at the end of 2025, though, but Tom Coronel doubts he will try to.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend
Coronel believes Verstappen joining Mercedes is “impossible”, as he would “never” want to leave Red Bull given everything that they have achieved together. Verstappen has fought for the past five F1 drivers’ titles and he ranks third in the record books with 71 Grand Prix wins.
“Max going to Mercedes? Impossible,” Coronel told RacingNews365. “I always said he would stay at Red Bull, and that’s for two reasons. First, because he’s truly the king there. Second, he started there, and I see him as a loyal person.
“Ultimately, he would never have gone to Mercedes. I don’t believe that at all, because then you burn through everything you’ve built together. And in my opinion, he’s built up too much at Red Bull to suddenly change his mind. You just don’t do that.”
Mercedes and Aston Martin will monitor Max Verstappen’s 2026 Red Bull release clause
Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull through the 2028 F1 season, after he agreed to a long-term deal with the Milton Keynes outfit on the back of winning his first title in the 2021 season. But the 28-year-old also included a number of potential release clauses in his terms.
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Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen will be Mercedes teammates during their F1 career – change my mind
Comment below!
Mercedes missed out on a chance to sign Verstappen last year as he did not meet the terms of his release clause for 2025. Yet Verstappen can leave Red Bull at the end of 2026 if he sits outside the top two in the drivers’ standings this summer, which could bring Mercedes back.
It is extremely unlikely that the Silver Arrows would be the only team to target Verstappen if he were to hit the market, as well. Reports suggest that Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll sees Verstappen as his No1 target should Fernando Alonso retire following the 2026 season.
Aston Martin and Mercedes might, therefore, test Coronel’s belief that Verstappen’s loyalty will see him stay at Red Bull. Despite Verstappen declaring that his “dream” is to retire from F1 as a Red Bull driver, he will always prioritise having a title-contending car above anything.
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