Nelson Piquet Jr. drops sensational hint on Max Verstappen’s F1 future involving Mercedes

The former Formula 1 driver Nelson Piquet Jr. (Verstappen's girlfriend, Kelly Piquet's brother) has spilt the beans on Max Verstappen's future in regard to the Mercedes F1 team. The latter, in recent times, has been hugely linked with a possible switch to the Toto Wolff-led team for the 2026 season.

During the British Grand Prix race weekend, the F1 paddock was bombarded with reports of Max Verstappen going to Mercedes. A lot was said about the whole saga by top motorsport personalities, and in line with how much interest it develops among the fans, Nelson Piquet Jr., via the Pelas Piastas Podcast, said the following:

"There are weekends this year when things just don't work out. There's not much to do about it. One of their drivers is a rookie, who was then unfortunately hit by Hadjar last weekend. In any case, it was not the weekend for Mercedes. But who knows what next year might bring when Max is driving there!"

The Brackley-based Mercedes Formula 1 team currently has the young Italian sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli and the well-established George Russell as its drivers in the ongoing 2025 Formula 1 season.

Both of their contracts are coming to a close at the Abu Dhabi GP, and no concrete update regarding their 2026 status has come out of the Mercedes camp yet.

Red Bull has been in turmoil for some time with its RB21, and with the recent departure of Christian Horner as team principal, Verstappen could very well also be on his way out of the team at the end of the 2025 season.

"Thank you for everything",: Max Verstappen shows his gratitude toward Christian Horner

F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Practice - Source: Getty

While Nelson Piquet Jr. has hinted at Max Verstappen joining the Mercedes Formula 1 team for the 2026 season, the latter recently took the time to thank his former Red Bull team boss, Christian Horner. As mentioned above, Horner was relieved of his duties on 9 July 2025.

In line with this, Verstappen has taken to his official Instagram account and shown his gratitude toward Christian Horner.

"From my first race win, to four world championships, we have shared incredible successes. Winning memorable races and breaking countless records. Thank you for everything, Christian!"

Max Verstappen has been ruling over the pinnacle of motorsport since 2021. Since then, he has won four consecutive world championships, and Horner was alongside him throughout.

As a matter of fact, the Brit was at Red Bull long before Verstappen joined in 2016. Christian Horner led the charge of the team for over two decades from 2005 onwards.

With Horner gone, it is going to be fascinating to see whether Verstappen stays at the Austrian team beyond 2025 or jumps ship to Mercedes or any other team.