'Verstappen not convinced by Mercedes: This is why'
Perez says Horner and Marko were honest in their favouritism (Photo: Race Pictures)
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Co-author:Tobia Elia
Cas van de Kleut is redacteur bij GPblog en gespecialiseerd in Formule 1-nieuws en analyses. Met een achtergrond in journalistiek en ervaring in interviews, evenementen en podcasts levert hij actuele berichtgeving en onderbouwde inzichten in de sport.
Ralf Schumacher has attempted to speculate on a possible deadline by which Max Verstappen might make a final decision regarding his future for 2026 — whether to stay with Red Bull or make the switch to Mercedes.
On the Backstage Boxengasse podcast, Ralf Schumacher was asked whether any announcements might be made ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.
At that, the former F1 driver responded: “I can hardly imagine anything happening before the summer break. I think they want to wait and see what Mekies does. With this recent change, new people are coming in. That was also a problem before. To be fair, with Christian Horner, some well-established people from Formula 1 didn’t want to join.''
Max Verstappen
Will Verstappen choose Mercedes or Red Bull?
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Schumacher continued: ''Now, of course, if there’s a list and Max Verstappen can be presented with “Okay, here we are now, this is where we’re heading, it will take a year,” I can definitely see that happening.''
''So, I believe the three of them—his dad, his manager, and Max himself—will sit down during the summer break, lay out the options side by side, classic style, discuss everything, and then make a decision.''
Schumacher has done a 180 degree turn in his feeling about a possible switch from Verstappen.
In recent weeks, the German had maintained that there was a strong chance the Red Bull Racing driver would move to Mercedes. However, that impression seems to have shifted, as suggested by his earlier comments in the podcast.
Verstappen doubtful about Mercedes?
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The German also admitted that his perspective was different just last week. Schumacher went on to describe Red Bull as Verstappen’s “home.”
According to Michael Schumacher's brother, things would be different at Mercedes: ''Mercedes, with their own interests, had to apparently give their go-ahead first. That also took quite a while.''
''As a driver, feeling that the team is behind you like Red Bull does—that’s something I believe he can only really find there, or maybe at McLaren or with Stroll Senior’s team. But with Mercedes, it’s different because of the three owners, and I think that’s holding Max back a bit from making a final decision.''
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