F1 fans make feelings clear on Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes
Max Verstappen has been linked heavily to Mercedes as Toto Wolff looks for a long-term Lewis Hamilton successor.
Max Verstappen should decide against swapping Red Bull for Mercedes in 2025, according to Express Sport readers. The reigning world champion is Toto Wolff’s first-choice option to replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, but he has plenty of convincing to do if the Dutchman is to be wearing black overalls next season.
With Carlos Sainz seemingly heading for either Williams or Sauber and Esteban Ocon not in serious contention, Mercedes’ shortlist has been narrowed down to Verstappen and 17-year-old driver academy prospect Kimi Antonelli.
While Antonelli is the star of the future, Wolff’s ideal timeline would see Verstappen make the bold call to swap reigning champions Red Bull for the Brackley-based outfit. However, according to a survey of 3,250 Express Sport readers, this wouldn’t be a wise call from the Dutchman.
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Of the surveyed readers, 70 per cent believed that Verstappen’s best course of action would be to stay put at Milton Keynes, with only 30 per cent tipping the 26-year-old to make the leap into the unknown and join forces with Wolff and George Russell.
On the surface, swapping the back-to-back world champions for a team languishing down in P4 in the standings looks like an illogical move. However, there could be a method to Verstappen’s potential madness.
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Power units will be critical when the 2026 technical regulations come into play, and all of the noises coming out of the Mercedes camp suggest that the Silver Arrows are confident of replicating their fast start from a decade ago in 2014.
Combine this with a downturn in performance from Red Bull relative to Ferrari and McLaren, and Verstappen’s future in Milton Keynes looks less certain as we approach the ninth round of the 2024 season.
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According to Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft, Wolff’s chances of bringing Verstappen to Brackley are still alive. He explained: “You get the impression, and I had a couple of wonderful text messages over the Monaco weekend from people who’d heard Jos talking and saying ‘Max going to Mercedes, you know, that’s not dead in the water yet.’
“It’s quite clear that there’s still a bit of a ground that needs to be resolved in that particular conversation. Logically, Max stays exactly where he is. But when has logic ever formed part of a discussion on this one? Especially in F1.”
