Max Verstappen finally admits talks with Mercedes and McLaren, this is why he turned them down

Red Bull F1 star Max Verstappen has confirmed that serious talks were held with both Mercedes and McLaren over his future in the sport.

Verstappen has been the centre of F1 silly season over the past two seasons, with Red Bull's dominance having slipped.

In 2025, the four-time world champion was strongly linked with a move to Mercedes, with Silver Arrows team chief Toto Wolff having openly admitted his desire to put Verstappen in one of their cars.

In the end, Verstappen remained with Red Bull, but fast forward to 2026 and his future was once again up in the air, with reigning constructors' champions McLaren strongly linked, as was a potential retirement.

Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort - his last home race in F1 - Verstappen ended all of that speculation, though, putting pen to paper on a blockbuster new deal at Red Bull that sees him tied to the team through the 2030 season.

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Max Verstappen confirms Mercedes and McLaren talks

As it turns out, all of the speculation over Verstappen's future was accurate, with the four-time world champion now confirming he held talks with both Mercedes and McLaren in recent years.

This wasn't simply a play to try and squeeze more money out of Red Bull either, with the Dutch star confirming he took the talks very seriously.

"Of course, any kind of chat you take seriously. They're all very respectful chats. There's nothing wrong with that," Verstappen told BBC Sport regarding talks with Mercedes and McLaren in recent seasons.

"I felt that staying was, for me, the right choice. You have to follow your heart. I could have run away very early on in my Red Bull career and gone somewhere else to try and win.

"If you have a little bit of patience, you do end up winning. I feel like that's my approach now as well."

How much is Max Verstappen's salary at Red Bull?

Verstappen's new deal at Red Bull makes him the highest-paid driver in F1, earning significantly more than even Lewis Hamilton.

Some reports put his base salary at an astonishing $107m, while Dutch F1 insider Robert Doornbos has claimed that including bonuses, the deal is worth as much as half a billion dollars over its four-year term.

The latest driver salaries on August 27, 2026 look like this:

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Written by

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson - F1 Editor

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