Reigning F1 champion Max Verstappen's current contract with Red Bull extends up to the 2028 season. However, recent reports indicate that the Dutchman is considering a sensational switch to Mercedes.
The Red Bull F1 team put together a record-breaking F1 campaign last season, with Max Verstappen leading the charge. Coming off a successful season, the Milton Keynes squad had a shaky start to its 2024 campaign, engulfed in off-track drama, with its lead driver allegedly considering a team switch.
Former Red Bull F1 driver Robert Doornbos has disclosed that Max Verstappen is already having conversations with Mercedes. Doornbos explained that the 3x F1 champion is enquiring about the power units the Brackley-based squad will use in 2026, the season when the major power unit regulation changes will come into effect.
Doornbos explained that he has obtained the information from a reliable source, as he told Ziggo Sport:
"I have heard from my reliable bird that Max is already having conversations with Mercedes, purely to see one-on-one what the feeling is for the future. What is Mercedes going to do with the engine is one of the most important questions that would have been discussed."
Red Bull is building power units in-house, in collaboration with Ford, to be introduced in 2026. Mercedes, on the other hand, has decades of experience building championship-winning engines, having aced the switch to hybrid power units a decade ago.
The regulations change could shake up the pecking order, prompting speculation from Robert Doornbos that Max Verstappen is keen not to be left behind. Accordingly, Verstappen is closely monitoring his rivals. The former F1 driver added:
"He already knows what they will do at Ford and Red Bull in 2026. That is a crucial year. You can hardly imagine it, but something is happening behind the scenes. This will be an exciting month. I think we will have a lot of news in April."
Max Verstappen claims his past rivalry with Mercedes can be 'forgiven and forgotten'
The Dutch F1 driver was embroiled in a titanic championship battle with Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton in 2021, that ended in his favor after a season-long fight.
Despite their history, Max Verstappen acknowledged Toto Wolff's interest in him as a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton. The Dutch driver believes in burying the hatchet, but he emphasized that he's currently not focused on switching sides.
In a recent interview with De Limburger, the 26-year-old said:
"They [Mercedes] want me in that car, I understand that. Look: a few years ago there was of course a little more tension between us and Mercedes... But that can all be forgiven and forgotten. That's true on both sides."
"But that doesn't mean I think I should be driving somewhere else right now"
Four rounds into the 2024 F1 season, Max Verstappen leads the F1 standings and is the early season favorite to win the title.
