Max Verstappen’s future has been the talk of the F1 paddock over recent months, as the Milton Keynes outfit has struggled to give him a race-winning car.
The reigning world champion has continuously berated his RB21 this season, which has continuously been slower than its McLaren competitor. Now the paddock has starting saying that Verstappen can see himself driving for Mercedes next season.
Verstappen reportedly has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave Red Bull after this season if he is not in the top four of the Driver's Championship at the start of the summer break, following the Hungarian Grand Prix.
GP33 has claimed that rumours around the paddock suggest that Verstappen sees himself driving for Mercedes, as opposed to Aston Martin. Lawrence Stroll’s team has been linked with a big-money move for the driver which would reunite him with legendary designer Adrian Newey.
Max Verstappen struggled with his Red Bull throughout the year
ReutersNewey was employed by Red Bull for nearly two decades before making the move to Aston Martin, and he is solely designing their 2026 challenger and beyond.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff could finally get his wish to sign the Dutchman out of the Red Bull, though he would face a tough decision on which of his drivers to replace.
George Russell is out of a contract at the end of the year but is a star of the F1 world, showcasing his talents regularly and winning the most recent race in Canada.
They also have 18-year-old sensation Kimi Antonelli, however, Motorsport.com claims Russell is a target for Aston Martin.
Russell has responded to the rumours he could leave the Sliver Arrows by insisting there is “no rush” for him to sign a new contract as he continues negotiations.
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George Russell's future with Mercedes is still up in the air
GettyHe said: "Like I said numerous times, why wouldn't teams be interested in Max? If every driver had no contracts for next year, Max would be No 1 for every single team. And that's understandable.
"But ultimately, there are two seats for every race team. I knew if I continue to perform as I'm doing, my position would not be under threat whatsoever. So, I feel in a good place.
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"I'm not talking with anybody else and any teams who have shown interest. I have been quite open to say my intentions are to stay with Mercedes. That's always been clear. And I am loyal to Mercedes. They gave me this chance to get into Formula 1.
"We're in no rush to do contract negotiations. We want to win together, especially Kimi and I being team-mates now."
Lawrence Stroll reportedly has his eyes on George Russell to join Aston Martin
GETTYBoth Russell and Verstappen will be aiming to show their worth to teams up and down the grid as they aim to work out where their futures lie.
In the short term, they will be looking to put their best foot forward when the teams return to track action in Austria next weekend.
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