F1 insider hears Max Verstappen rule out one key scenario amid Mercedes talk

One topic dominated the build-up to this weekend’s British Grand Prix in the Silverstone paddock during Thursday’s media day; Max Verstappen’s future.

There was barely any room to breathe, let alone see (or indeed hear) Verstappen as the majority of the media centre crammed into Red Bull’s hospitality for a 10-minute media session with the four-time world champion.

A sea of journalists swarmed Verstappen, who batted away a barrage of questions surrounding the hottest topic in F1 – rumours linking him with a bombshell move to Mercedes.

Talks about Verstappen switching Red Bull for Mercedes have intensified since Mercedes driver George Russell claimed in Austria last week that his own contract extension was being delayed due to the Silver Arrows pursuing his rival.

Further fuel was added to the fire when a report from Italy suggested Verstappen has held “concrete negotiations” with Mercedes and even “said yes” to Toto Wolff’s offer.

Crash.net’s Lewis Larkam recaps what we learned from what a tight-lipped Verstappen was willing to divulge…

Verstappen coy on Red Bull future

Verstappen was in no mood to give too much away as he faced a grilling about his Red Bull future on Thursday.

The Dutchman insisted nothing has changed in the past week as he refused to be drawn on the links to Mercedes and did his best to dodge questions.

“I have nothing else to add compared to what I said last week,” Verstappen said.

“Now last week we didn’t have a great result. I think it was not a great weekend, but also a bit unlucky in general.  I don’t say of course that we will be challenging McLaren, but we could have had a decent result.

“Everything that I’ve said that week [about my future] is still the same. Nothing has changed from my side.”

When asked if F1’s new regulations for 2026 could tear up the form book, Verstappen retorted: “That’s right. That’s why I’m contracted to Red Bull.”

When pushed to confirm whether he’ll be driving for Red Bull next year, Verstappen was less convincing in his response.

“Like I said last week, that’s all that I have to say about it,” he offered. “There is no decision at the moment.

“For me, it’s not about ’26 or whatever. I just focus on what I have ahead of me [and to] work with the team.

“And then, of course, a lot of people make up assumptions, but you know that’s not me.”

Verstappen won’t talk about exit clause

There has been plenty of speculation surrounding the details of Verstappen’s performance-related exit clause which could enable him to leave Red Bull before his contract expires at the end of 2028 if certain conditions are met.

Exact details of this are not publicly known and there are conflicting reports on what is required for it to be triggered. According to some, Verstappen would either need to be outside of the top two, three or four positions in the world championship by the end of the summer.

Sky Sports have also reported that a fee “potentially in excess of £100m” would be needed to buy Verstappen out of his existing Red Bull deal.

Unsurprisingly, Verstappen was unwilling to talk about the finer details of his contract as he simply stated: “I’m not speaking about my contract.”

F1 sabbatical ruled out

Verstappen was more certain when the possibility of a sabbatical from F1 was brought up, something he was quick to rule out.

“No, no, no, no,” Verstappen replied. “F1 for sure and I’ll try in the future, combine it with any kind of other racing that is possible, what I can prepare for.

“Because I do want to of course explore a bit out of Formula 1, which because I’m already doing with testing but eventually also racing.”

Asked directly if a sabbatical from F1 could be an option, Verstappen said: “No, no, for sure.”