New Max Verstappen blow as Russell issues Mercedes future update

Max Verstappen has seen his chance of a switch to Mercedes for F1 2027 dealt a blow following comments about George Russell’s own future with the squad.

Russell declared he is “certain” he will still be racing for Mercedes in 2027 despite persistent speculation linking Verstappen with a move to Brackley.

Max Verstappen choices narrow after George Russell Mercedes update

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Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but a performance clause in his contract could allow him to switch teams for next season.

To trigger the clause, he must be outside of the top two in the drivers’ championship at the mid-season break.

Verstappen is currently seventh, 60 points behind second-placed Lewis Hamilton with a maximum of 100 points available before the clause can be exercised.

Red Bull has endured a difficult start to the F1 2026 season despite an encouraging all-new in-house power unit.

For Verstappen, the key consideration is how long it will take the Milton Keynes squad to return to race winning contention and whether he is prepared to wait.

“Our goal is to see this adventure through together with Red Bull,” Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen’s manager, told De Telegraaf.

“The spirit of Red Bull and the spirit of Verstappen—they’re a perfect match.

“But we do need a package that allows us to compete at the front. That’s always been the foundation.

“We feel at home at Red Bull, but we want to be competitive. After all, Max wasn’t born to race in the midfield.”

Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes, where it is widely accepted that George Russell would be the driver at risk.

The Brit, who is a race winner this season and sits second in the championship, was made to wait over a new deal last year amid ongoing conversations with Verstappen.

Russell is understood to hold a one-plus-one agreement, with performance clauses that trigger the option for 2027.

With Mercedes the class of the field, Russell has spoken with absolute confidence about his future.

“No announcement this weekend but I’ll be racing here [at Mercedes] next year, 100 per cent,” Russell said on Thursday in Austria.

“It hasn’t even been discussed [with Wolff]. We don’t need to discuss it. It’s not even a question mark.

“I don’t want to go into any more detail, but I will be here next year and that’s the fact of it.”

Russell’s comment was swiftly followed by Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff throwing his support behind his current driver pairing.

“We don’t want to change things, and I’ve said it also to George,” he told Sky F1.

“I think it’s a line-up that is good for us; very happy with the two of them.”

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Russell’s public comments are supported by sources with knowledge of the matter, reinforcing the suggestion that Mercedes’ 2027 driver pairing is settled.

Verstappen’s realistic options therefore appear increasingly limited.

Ferrari and McLaren are the only teams capable of offering a potentially more competitive package, yet neither has an obvious vacancy.

While there have been suggestions that Verstappen and Oscar Piastri could effectively swap seats, McLaren is understood to be happy with the Australian.

Things are even more settled at Ferrari where Charles Leclerc has just signed a new contract and Lewis Hamilton has struck a rich vein of form.

It’s therefore difficult to see a clear move for Verstappen away from Red Bull, a fact which arguably sees the negotiating power with the teams rather than the 28-year-old.

“Loyalty has always been our guiding principle—on both sides,” said Vermeulen on the prospect of remaining with Red Bull.

“We’ve had many new contracts over the years, and they’ve always been carefully considered.”

In the immediate term, that leaves Red Bull as the only certainty.

“We now have time to focus on the car’s performance,” Vermeulen added.

“That has nothing to do with whether we’re leaving or not.

“We just want to see where we stand and how the car’s development is progressing.

“That means we don’t have to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ right now. We have agreements, and we’re sticking to them.”

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