Jos Verstappen: Mercedes talks were real — and Ferrari’s been on the table too
Even with four world titles in the cabinet and the Red Bull name stitched into the story, the Verstappens never stop checking the market. Jos Verstappen has lifted the lid on the past 18 months of noise around his son’s future, saying discussions about a potential move to Mercedes weren’t just idle paddock chatter — and that Ferrari has featured in the family’s long-range conversations as well.
“It’s not that we only talk about it a lot this year,” Jos told Viaplay, asked how much time had gone into weighing a switch to Brackley. “This year, nevertheless, a bit more than the years before… But we also talk about Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. That makes sense.” As he underlined, the inner circle remains tight — Jos, manager Raymond Vermeulen and Max — but “he makes the final decision.”
And for now, the final decision is the status quo. Max Verstappen, who secured his fourth successive title last season, moved to end the springtime swirl with a terse update: “Yeah,” he said of staying at Red Bull, “I think it’s time to basically stop all the rumours.” He’s contracted to Milton Keynes through 2028, a deal Red Bull has acknowledged includes performance-related exit clauses.
That won’t surprise anyone who watched the rumour mill spin at full tilt. Mercedes were publicly linked for months, a courtship helped along by Toto Wolff’s not‑so‑subtle admiration and the vacancy created by Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari for 2025. Even after Mercedes confirmed Andrea Kimi Antonelli would partner George Russell, the speculation merely shifted to timelines and trigger points rather than disappearing entirely.
Inside Red Bull, the line remains pragmatic. Helmut Marko reiterated that the contract allows Verstappen to reassess if the team falls short. “If it turns out next year that we are not competitive, he can always reconsider his decision,” Marko told F1-Insider, before adding a wider dose of realism about the 2026 reset. “Mercedes declares itself the favourite, but there is no evidence… There is a lot of uncertainty. From his perspective, it makes much more sense to stay, wait and see.”
That’s the core of it. Anyone talking in absolutes about 2026 is selling something. New power units, new chassis rules, and very little visibility on who’s actually nailed the concept. For all of Mercedes’ confidence and Ferrari’s magnetic pull, the smartest place for a driver who values control might be exactly where Verstappen is now: inside a system tailored around him, with the freedom to pivot if the picture changes.
It’s not lost on the driver, either. Verstappen has been consistent in batting away the romance of red. “I have a lot of respect for the brand Ferrari,” he said at the start of last year’s title defence, “but I’m very happy where I am… I never say never, but for me now, it’s not even in my head.” That’s not a snub, just a statement from a driver who has long refused to be boxed in by other people’s narratives. He’s said often he wants more from life than just Formula 1; chasing a dream jersey for the sake of it has never sounded like his style.
If anything, the candid tone from Jos only underscores how the Verstappens operate: keep the door ajar, keep the leverage, and keep talking. Mercedes? Discussed. Ferrari? Discussed. Red Bull? Still home. The interesting bit is that they’re doing all of this out in the open, unafraid to admit the conversations are ongoing even as Max stays exactly where he is.
And that might be the biggest tell. In a sport marching toward another rules upheaval, the Verstappens are hedging in plain sight. Red Bull gets continuity for 2026; Verstappen keeps options alive if the car doesn’t land. Everyone else, from Maranello to Brackley, will just have to wait — and keep their phones charged.
