Windsor names top 2026 destinations for Verstappen amid growing Mercedes rumors

17:55, 13 Jul

Updated: 18:45, 13 Jul

byTobia Elia

F1 analyst Peter Windsor discussed the possibility of Max Verstappen moving to Mercedes amid the whirlwind of rumors circulating for weeks, always keeping in mind that 2026 remains an uncertain year for everyone.

In recent days, there has been much talk about the curious coincidence of both Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff being in Sardinia — what many have described as a possible decisive meeting in the negotiations that could see the Dutchman join Mercedes.

However, according to GPblog, no actual meeting took place between the two parties; their presence in the same location was purely coincidental.

The rumors, however, persist and show no signs of slowing down—especially with the two-week break between the recent Silverstone Grand Prix and the upcoming race at Spa, scheduled for the weekend of July 25th to 27th.

Rumors about Verstappen and Mercedes continue to swirl

Speaking about the possible arrival of the four-time world champion at Brackley on his YouTube channel, F1 analyst Peter Windsor commented: ''If you're Mercedes, you'll definitely be out there talking to Max Verstappen for sure. If you're Max Verstappen, you'd definitely be talking to Mercedes whenever they want to talk to you.''

Windsor, however, emphasized that 2026 — the year when the new technical regulations will come into effect — remains a huge unknown for everyone involved.

''Logically nobody knows what is going to happen in '26 in terms of the scale of power of the teams. Who's going to be quick, who's going to be slow.''

''The odds are that Aston Martin will have a very good car. The odds are that Mercedes will have a reasonable car, probably a good one, therefore McLaren will as well. Ferrari maybe, a bit more of a question mark I would think.''

''So if you're Max, you want the surefire bet for 2026 and you're thinking of leaving Red Bull now, the surest bet with the least downside would be Aston Martin, one year contract with options, but leave the door open in case Mercedes have got the best car and then you can go to Mercedes for '27.''

Finally, the Briton concluded: ''That would be what Max would be looking to do if he wanted to leave Red Bull and didn't believe in Red Bull anymore. That's what I think he should do.''