Max Verstappen F1 future uncertain as rumours swirl he will leave Red Bull for Mercedes
Verstappen has won the previous four drivers' championships, but his hopes of a record-equalling fifth consecutive title appear to be a long shot as McLaren teammates Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris continue to set the pace in 2025.
Despite having a contract until 2028, rumours have intensified over several weeks that the Dutchman could leave Red Bull.
Mercedes appears to be the front runner to snag Verstappen's signature, while Aston Martin has also been rumoured to have tried to lure the world champion.
2009 world champion Jenson Button, speaking with UK broadcaster Sky Sports, said Verstappen holds all the aces, but making the right choice is not so simple.
"The good thing that Max has in his favour is he's probably the best racing driver that's ever raced in a Formula 1 car, my view," Button said.
"So everyone wants him, so it's a nice position to be in.
"But it's also tricky to really pick and choose who is going to be competitive next year."
F1 will have new technical regulations starting from 2026.
The new rules mean teams will be building brand new cars for the 2026 season.
Red Bull nailed the most recent regulation change in 2022, leading to historical dominance in 2022 and 2023.
Before that, the regulation change in 2014 led to an era of Mercedes dominance.
Mercedes won all eight constructors' championships during that regulation cycle from 2014-2021, and their drivers won seven of the eight drivers' championships.
Verstappen's last-lap heroics in Abu Dhabi 2021 denied Hamilton the championship and Mercedes the clean sweep of all 16 titles.
Despite Verstappen winning two grands prix this season, Red Bull has underperformed.
The team are fourth in the constructors' championship, with Verstappen accounting for 155 of the team's 162 points.
Button said a major factor that Verstappen could be weighing up is which powertrain supplier he wants to drive for.
Mercedes has the best-performing powertrain in 2025.
A Mercedes-powered car has won nine of the 11 grands prix this season, with McLaren accounting for eight of those wins.
"I think that Red Bull is a team that has given him so much over the years, and this car really suits his driving style," Button said.
"Everyone's talking about power units. The power unit of the Mercedes seems to be very strong compared to everything else, so he [Max] wants to be in a Mercedes.
"But can they deliver the car for him that suits his style? Who knows."
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner dismissed the rumours during last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix.
Horner described the rumour mill as "a lot of noise", while affirming Verstappen is still contracted with Red Bull.
"We are very clear with the contract we have with Max until 2028. Anything is entirely speculative that has been said. We tend to not pay too much attention to it," Horner told Sky Sports.
"The situation with Max — we know clearly where we are at, as does Max. Everything is subject to noise, and obviously, within the contract remains confidential to the two parties."
Current Mercedes drivers George Russell and rookie Kimi Antonelli are out of contract at the end of this season.
Russell has been outspoken in his wish to sign a new contract with Mercedes.
The Brit has four grand prix victories since joining the team in 2022.
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