Max Verstappen looks at Toto Wolff in a composite picture — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Wolff and Verstappen told they are set to fail at Mercedes

Max Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes in each of the last two years

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Wednesday 21 January 2026 23:05

Former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes Max Verstappen is unlikely to make a future move to Mercedes, suggesting he would not be a good fit alongside team principal Toto Wolff.

The Dutchman has been repeatedly linked with a switch to the Brackley-based team over the past two seasons, but those rumours have failed to turn into anything concrete. Verstappen has also recently restated his commitment to Red Bull, where he is under contract until the end of the 2028 campaign.

Even so, speculation about a potential move elsewhere is expected to resurface if Red Bull are unable to supply him with a car capable of fighting for the title in 2026.

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Formula 1 is set to undergo a major regulatory overhaul, with sweeping changes to both power units and aerodynamic regulations. How teams adapt to these new rules could play a decisive role in Verstappen’s future, potentially prompting him to reassess his options in 2026 depending on who emerges strongest under the new framework.

But Sky Germany's Schumacher who previously raced in F1 between 1997-2007 has said that he doesn't believe Mercedes to be an option for Verstappen, because of the presence of team principal Wolff.

"What are the alternatives? I still can’t see Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff working well together," Schumacher told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.

"The same goes for Aston Martin, but I would say that’s partly down to Helmut, and I have to say that Max Verstappen felt extremely comfortable towards the end of last year, and you really get the feeling that they have become a unit.

"That’s why I wouldn’t question it at all, and where else does he have something like that? And I mean, the team is basically his, you have to say that."

Will Verstappen stay at Red Bull?

Recent comments about wanting to finish his career at Red Bull, or at least see out his current contract with the team, have put to bed any rumours linking Verstappen with a 2027 move away from the Milton Keynes-based outfit.

But he is a four-time world champion, and would surely not accept running in the midfield if Red Bull do struggle with the new regulations.

Questions about Verstappen's long-term future will surely only intensify as the 2026 season progresses, particularly with a number of teams not having tied their drivers down beyond the end of 2026.

Time will tell as to whether Red Bull and new team principal Laurent Mekies can convince the Dutchman to stay during the team's rebuilding phase.

2026 will be the first year in Red Bull history without Christian Horner or Helmut Marko, while design legend Adrian Newey recently left the team and ex-sporting director Jonathan Wheatley quit to join Sauber back in 2024.

Max Verstappen Mercedes Toto Wolff