How Mercedes finally got Max Verstappen on board

Mercedes have finally managed to get four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen on board with their brand.

Red Bull's star driver is preparing for the 2026 season with the Milton Keynes-based outfit amid a new era for Red Bull, in which they are producing their own power units in partnership with Ford for the first time.

Verstappen's role as a Red Bull driver for 2026 was not always straightforward, however, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff rather publicly pursuing the Dutchman's services in each of the last two seasons.

Verstappen finally put the rumours to bed last summer, when he confirmed that he would be staying at Red Bull for 2026, and he has since reiterated his commitment to his current Red Bull contract, which runs to the end of the 2028 season.

Now, it appears as though Mercedes have finally managed to get Verstappen to enter into a partnership with them, but not in F1.

Verstappen's GT3 racing team previously known as Verstappen.com Racing have signed a deal with Mercedes to use a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo, rather than the Aston Martin that they were using last year.

The team will also become commonly known as simply Verstappen Racing, while the Mercedes-Benz Group have announced that the outfit is not just a Mercedes-AMG team, but is now considered an official 'performance team', an honour bestowed only to the best teams in GT3 racing.

The official, full name of Verstappen's racing team in 2026 will be Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.

F1 HEADLINES: Mercedes power unit verdict as FIA make LATE change to 2026 rules

Verstappen Racing moving up in GT Racing

Verstappen's team were in the GT World Challenge Europe last year, with the outfit claiming Gold Cup success through the driver lineup of Thierry Vermeulen, Harry King, and Chris Lulham.

In 2026 with their new Mercedes machinery, Verstappen Racing are going to be competing in the Pro Class of the GT World Challenge Europe, rather than the Gold Cup, something which Verstappen has stated has been a goal of his and the team.

Verstappen's friend and former sim racer Lulham will continue in the seat in the upper class in 2026, and he will be joined by Dani Juncadella, an Aston Martin F1 simulator driver who has already enjoyed considerable success with the Mercedes-AMG GT3, and Jules Gounon, who is one of the best GT3 drivers of all time.

READ MORE: Red Bull sign blockbuster new deal 'worth more than $100 million per year'

Related