Red Bull or Mercedes? Max Verstappen really knows what he's doing

18:40, 02 Jul

Updated: 19:23, 02 Jul

byLudo van Denderen

A new day, a new rumour. Until Mercedes has confirmed both its drivers, stories linking Max Verstappen to the German racing team are bound to appear. GPblog tries to shed some light on the matter.

This time, it was the Italian version of Sky Sports that came out with a story about Verstappen. It was reported that the four-time world champion was reportedly nearing an agreement with Mercedes. Only the Mercedes management still has to approve. A bit awkward: the British version of Sky Sports immediately denied their Italian colleagues' story.

And indeed, the story as it was propelled into the world by the Italian medium is simply not true, as this site has also understood. GPblog contacted sources very close to the matter, with the most important saying: 'Nothing done, nonsense'.

(Now) no deal between Verstappen and Mercedes

Another source stated that within Mercedes the situation was still as Toto Wolff described last weekend in Austria; discussions are held in complete secrecy and it's not that Verstappen has let it be known: 'Then I'll come and these are the conditions'.

Based on what this site has heard from sources who wish to remain strictly anonymous, there is no other conclusion to draw than that there is no question of a transition from Verstappen to Mercedes.

At the moment, the state of play is that Verstappen is a Red Bull Racing driver and will be until 2026. In public, the Dutch driver has also repeatedly said that he would most like to stay with the Austrian racing team.

However, it will likely not be the last time a rumor surfaces about Verstappen's future. This site makes the assessment every time whether a new story is relevant enough to report, but also writes down what the available information from GPblog is.

Toto Wolff wants to bring Verstappen to Mercedes

What does the future hold for Verstappen?

So, is it completely ruled out that Verstappen will move after this season? No, it's not, and it never was. As time goes by, events could occur that make Verstappen prefer to work elsewhere. This site has learned that one possible scenario is whether Christian Horner remains, the team manager who is ultimately responsible for the snake pit that Red Bull has become.

Yet again, at this moment, Verstappen is a Red Bull Racing driver. Will it still be interesting weeks ahead? It just might. In any case, this site does hear that Verstappen's fans don't need to worry because the driver and his entourage really know what they are doing. Quietly, that is.