Verstappen urged to join Mercedes after 'GP' exit: 'It's the perfect opportunity'

Last week, it was announced that Lambiase will join the papaya team as Chief Racing Officer no later than 2028, making his departure the latest in a long line of high-profile Red Bull exits across the last 18 months.

Moreover, GPblog previously received signals that his future with the Austrian outfit is becoming increasingly clear. Continuing at Red Bull Racing appears to be an option that clearly ranks below several other possibilities, this website understands.

In December, Verstappen lost another close ally in Helmut Marko, the former Red Bull external advisor responsible for bringing through the likes of Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Sebastian Vettel.

Jonathan Wheatley, Adrian Newey and Christian Horner are other huge figures to have left the Milton Keynes team in recent times, with Red Bull now struggling to keep up with the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari at the start of 2026.

A poor RB22, but more critically discontent with the 2026 F1 regulations as a whole, has left Verstappen in P9 and weighing up his future in the sport, publicly questioning whether continuing with the 'Mario Kart' racing is currently "worth it."

For former Williams driver Montoya, however, a move to Mercedes, where team principal Toto Wolff has long admired Verstappen, would be a "perfect opportunity" for the Dutchman should he stay in the sport.

Speaking to AS Colombia, Montoya said: "Look at Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli has won the last two races, but George Russell is suddenly really struggling.

The Colombian also shared his thoughts on the departure of Verstappen's race engineer Lambiase, questioning whether the Milton Keynes-based team could have done more to keep 'GP' before his move to McLaren as Chief Racing Officer.

"It is interesting, though, because he will now have a more important role than he had or could have had at Red Bull,” Montoya said.

“It's also a role that Red Bull could have known he could have gotten elsewhere.

“I don't know for sure, but when I look at all he has achieved, I personally think it is a role that Red Bull certainly could have given him as well."