Max Verstappen camp set for “concrete” talks with Mercedes after Miami

Max Verstappen and his management are set to have “concrete” negotiations with Mercedes following this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. 

According to F1-Insider, Verstappen, Jos Verstappen and his manager Raymond Vermeulen will meet with senior Mercedes officials to discuss a potential move for the 2025 F1 season.

Mercedes have been open in their interest in signing Verstappen as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement for 2025.

According to the report, Toto Wolff, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius and Ineos' Sir Jim Ratcliffe will be present at the negotiations.

While Verstappen has a Red Bull contract until 2028, his future isn’t entirely certain, particularly given the situation surrounding Christian Horner and his alleged inappropriate behaviour towards a female employee.

Horner has remained in his role as team principal with talk surrounding the investigation into his behaviour easing off in recent races.

Verstappen has a clause in his current Red Bull contract which states that if Helmut Marko is no longer part of the team, then he’d be free to leave.

Marko’s future was uncertain around the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after rumours emerged that he was the one who leaked screenshots from the aforementioned Horner investigation.

Verstappen made clear to the media in Saudi Arabia that if Marko was to leave, that he would too.

Another element in the mix is the upcoming 2026 F1 rules - and the impact they will have on Red Bull.

Red Bull will be building their own engines for the first time when the new regulations are introduced.

There are some concerns that Red Bull’s lack of experience in building an engine will catch them out compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.

Similarly, speculation around Adrian Newey’s future may tempt Verstappen away as well.

Mercedes are prepared to sign Verstappen - and are unconcerned by the finances it would take to bring the three-time world champion to Brackley.

With Hamilton’s salary over £50 million per year as it is, Mercedes would be prepared to strike one of the biggest deals in F1 history to sign Verstappen.

Given Red Bull and Mercedes’ contrasting fortunes in 2024, Verstappen will have to decide whether he wants to guarantee himself another world title next year (given the rules stay the same) or gamble on Mercedes for the better intra-team atmosphere and possible better chance of success in 2026 with the new rules.