‘Watch this space’ tease as Max Verstappen to Mercedes talk re-emerges

“Anything is possible” in Formula 1 was the message from 1992 World Champion Nigel Mansell who – despite the apparent cooling of interest – sees Max Verstappen ending up at Mercedes.

Earlier in the F1 2024 campaign, with Lewis Hamilton’s F1 2025 switch from Mercedes to Ferrari confirmed, while Red Bull were battling off-track disruption and later the loss of their dominant ways, speculation emerged linking Verstappen with a move to rivals Mercedes, whose team boss Toto Wolff made his desire to snatch away the three-time World Champion clear.

Max Verstappen to Mercedes re-ignited by Nigel Mansell

However, with Mercedes naming their teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s replacement, Wolff called off the Verstappen pursuit, saying it was time to go all-in on a Kimi Antonelli and George Russell future.

“We’re sitting back,” Wolff told Motorsport.com in regards to Verstappen.

“I think I’ve expressed it before, and we have a similar view also from Max’s side: you’ve got to put faith in your drivers or in your team. You need to give it the maximum support you can to make it a success. And only if things go really wrong, you will consider other opportunities.

“For me, it’s like flirting outside whilst you’re making your relationship work. It doesn’t work, I’m not flirting outside.

“Only if I want to have a change, or consider a change, I would seek a conversation. And it is the same on his side. We’re pretty aligned in our values on that I think.”

But, Mansell urges that never say never is always the best policy in Formula 1, so despite Wolff’s closing of the Verstappen chase, while Aston Martin – fresh off signing F1 design guru Adrian Newey for 2025 upon his Red Bull exit – have also been linked with a push to sign Verstappen, Mansell reckons Verstappen will at some stage find his way into a Mercedes.

Asked whether Mercedes or Aston Martin would be the better move for Verstappen, Mansell told Top Offshore Sportsbooks : “I think this is the fantastic thing about Formula 1. Anything’s possible and Max being the reigning World Champion and he’s got an unbelievable advantage to win another World Championship this year.

“And with all the things that have been happening with Red Bull you have got to take your hat off to Max that he’s kept his concentration. His car’s not as competitive as the others at the moment and he’s done some fantastic drives.

“I think watch this space again. I think the merry go round he could be moving to Mercedes. But it’s going to be interesting and hopefully Red Bull will be able to keep him. I think he’s under contract anyway, but I know having been in Formula 1, anything is possible!”

Verstappen is under Red Bull contract until the end of 2028, though the team’s senior advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed the existence of a performance-related exit clause in that deal.

Verstappen still leads the Drivers’ Championship by 52 points over Lando Norris as he chases a fourth successive crown, though is winless in his last eight races.

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