F1 star Max Verstappen held serious talks with Mercedes and McLaren, this is why he turned them down

Max Verstappen

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

His future has been a huge talking point this season

Simmey Hannifin Donaldson F1 Editor

Motorsport journalist covering F1 since 2024

Wednesday 9 September 2026 19:45

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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.

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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:

Driver	Team	Base salary
Max Verstappen	Red Bull	$107m
Lewis Hamilton	Ferrari	$60m
Charles Leclerc	Ferrari	$34m
George Russell	Mercedes	$34m
Lando Norris	McLaren	$30m
Carlos Sainz	Williams	$30m
Fernando Alonso	Aston Martin	$20m
Alex Albon	Williams	$15m
Oscar Piastri	McLaren	$13m
Pierre Gasly	Alpine	$12m
Lance Stroll	Aston Martin	$12m
Sergio Perez	Cadillac	$8m
Nico Hulkenberg	Audi	$7m
Esteban Ocon	Haas	$7m
Isack Hadjar	Red Bull	$5m
Valtteri Bottas	Cadillac	$5m
Kimi Antonelli	Mercedes	$2m
Gabriel Bortoleto	Audi	$2m
Ollie Bearman	Haas	$1m
Liam Lawson	Racing Bulls	$1m
Arvid Lindblad	Racing Bulls	<$1m
Franco Colapinto	Alpine	<$1m