Max Verstappen held ‘very constructive conversations’ with Mercedes
Max Verstappen opens up on talks with Mercedes as he considered his F1 future at Red Bull.
Max Verstappen has revealed he held “very constructive conversations” with Mercedes about potentially joining the team.
The four-time F1 world champion was Mercedes’ number one driver target following Lewis Hamilton’s shock announcement in February that he would make the switch to Ferrari for 2025.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff publicly courted Verstappen for several months during a turbulent start to the season for Red Bull, before eventually giving up on attempts to lure the 27-year-old Dutchman away from Red Bull.
Wolff instead opted to promote Mercedes’ teenage prodigy Andrea Kimi Antonelli alongside George Russell for next season and downplayed talk of trying to sign Verstappen in the foreseeable future.
Speaking to Dutch broadcaster Viaplay, Verstappen shed light on the talks he had with Mercedes when he was considering his F1 future.
“The big teams are always interesting, but on the other hand, I’m also in a very big team. I’ve achieved a lot of success with them. It also just feels like a second family,” Verstappen admitted.
“Look, of course we always talk to each other. And I don’t lie about the fact that we’ve sat together. We had very constructive conversations, I think everyone has always been very honest and open with each other.
“But on the other hand, I am also very loyal to my own team, and I just feel at home there. So, then there is actually not much to achieve at the moment. I am still very young, so a lot can still happen in the future.”
Verstappen has ‘nothing to complain about’
Verstappen, who is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, reiterated that he is “very happy” at the Milton Keynes outfit and has no desire to leave.
That is despite the scandal surrounding Red Bull team principal Christian Horner at the start of the year causing friction between Horner and Verstappen’s father, Jos, and a host of key departures including legendary designer Adrian Newey and sporting director Jonathan Wheatley.
“If you look at Formula 1, it doesn’t happen very often that someone gets out of their contract,” he added. “It’s not like in football, where you sign for five years and leave a year later. And that’s not really the intention.
“You never know what can happen next year or in two years, but you can’t control that either, so I don’t really think about it that much. Look, I’m very happy with where I am. We’ve won another championship.
“Of course, improvements need to be made with the car, but I think that’s very logical. So, I feel good with the team, I can be myself.
“Everyone is also working flat out to always give me the best material. In that respect, I have nothing to complain about.”
