F1 News: Mercedes 'turn down' Max Verstappen over Red Bull star's contract demands

Max Verstappen

Mercedes 'turn down' Max Verstappen over Red Bull star's contract demands

Did Mercedes really turn down Max?

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 7 July 2026 08:12

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Mercedes have 'turned down' an opportunity to sign four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen for 2027, according to reports in Italian media.

The Silver Arrows currently have the dominant car on the grid, but their reliability issues and poor form from George Russell mean that they still only have a 78-point lead at the top of the Constructors' championship.

What's more, Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has been able to join the drivers' championship fight, currently sat just 32 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli and seven behind Russell.

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That has led to reports that Mercedes may want to change up their driver lineup for 2027, with Verstappen potentially available thanks to an exit clause in his Red Bull contract.

However, Russell recently revealed that he would 100 per cent be at Mercedes in 2027, with his contract signed last year seemingly including an option for 2027 which has now been agreed upon by both parties.

But Italian publication Motorsport.It is now reporting that Mercedes did have the chance to sign Verstappen.

Did Mercedes turn down Verstappen?

The above publication have claimed that Mercedes and Verstappen were involved in discussions over a potential move, but that negotiations ended because Verstappen wanted a three-year contract.

Mercedes are known to use shorter contracts, with Russell and Antonelli both signing one-year deals for 2026, although both of those contracts seem to include options for more if both sides are happy.

Verstappen was willing to lower his salary to €50million per year according to the above publication (his current Red Bull base salary is around €62million per year), but the length of the deal was the sticking point.

Verstappen is, strictly speaking, contracted with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, but as we said there are exit clauses in that deal, as confirmed by his manager Raymond Vermeulen earlier this month.

Max exit clause, and Silverstone misery

One of those clauses is understood to become active if Verstappen is outside the top two of the Drivers' championship by the time of the summer break. That eventuality is now a mathematical certainty.

Verstappen's British Grand Prix performance would not have helped tensions between himself and Red Bull, with the Dutchman complaining throughout the entire weekend about his car setup, before crashing out of the main race at Silverstone while running up in third after a rear wing failure.

Approached for comment by GPFans, Mercedes say they are happy with their current driver lineup of Russell and Antonelli.