Former Red Bull star reveals how close Verstappen came to signing with Mercedes

A former Red Bull F1 driver has admitted he was 'convinced' Max Verstappen was set to make a stunning switch to Mercedes following 'intense' talks between the two teams.

Verstappen's long-term future at the Milton Keynes-based outfit has been under scrutiny for some time, with the Dutchman reportedly open to the possibility of taking on a new challenge.

Mercedes had been the frontrunners to secure his signature, with team boss Toto Wolff making no secret of his desire to get the four-time world champion on board.

However, speaking ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix earlier this month, the 27-year-old confirmed he would be staying put, thus putting an end to any exit rumours for the time being, at least.

But Robert Doornbos - who partnered David Coulthard at Red Bull for a short spell in 2006 - has admitted that announcement left him stunned.

"I've been working as an analyst on television sports for a while now, almost 12 years now," Doornbos told Motorsport.com.

"And as an analyst, you can't always throw a six. I was indeed absolutely convinced this [moving to Mercedes] was going to happen.

"The intensity of those discussions was certainly quite high, because otherwise it would have been quite easy for Mercedes to announce both drivers [for next season].

"Let me put it this way: Toto did everything he could to see if Max could switch.

"Despite Max saying, 'For me, it wasn't a discussion, I'll stay here forever,' management was of course working hard to explore other options."

Red Bull and Verstappen begin new era

With Verstappen's future settled, the reigning drivers' champion can now focus all of his attention on getting his ailing title bid back on track.

He is fast running out of time to pull that off, however, with Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris both holding a commanding lead over Verstappen in the standings with just 10 races to go.

Verstappen - who is currently enjoying his summer break with his family - occupies third spot in the championship, and will need to rely on a huge collapse from both McLaren drivers if he is to have any hope of being in contention come the business end of the campaign.

It promises to be an intriguing period for both Verstappen and Red Bull, with the squad still adjusting to life under new team principal Laurent Mekies following the sacking of Christian Horner.

There also remains significant doubt over who will line up alongside Verstappen in 2026, with Yuki Tsunoda enduring all sorts of struggles since being promoted from sister team Racing Bulls earlier this year.

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