Max Verstappen at centre of bold Helmut Marko prediction for F1 2026

Oliver Harden
A mock-up image of Max Verstappen in Mercedes overalls with an inset of Helmut Marko looking concerned

Max Verstappen to Mercedes? Not in Helmut Marko's view

Helmut Marko is convinced that Max Verstappen will reject the likes of Mercedes and Aston Martin to remain at Red Bull for the F1 2026 season – after storming to a fifth consecutive World Championship in F1 2025.

It comes amid persistent rumours of a move away from Red Bull throughout last season.

Helmut Marko convinced Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull for F1 2026

Despite being under contract until the end of the F1 2028 season, Verstappen was frequently linked with a move to Mercedes during his fourth title-winning campaign in 2024 in light of Red Bull’s on-track decline and the behind-the-scenes tensions between his father Jos and team principal Christian Horner.

Toto Wolff, the Mercedes team boss, admitted at one stage that he “would love to have” Verstappen in his team following seven-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton’s departure for Ferrari.

However, Mercedes ultimately signed teenage sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli as Hamilton’s successor, with the Italian’s promotion to a race seat announced at last year’s Italian Grand Prix.

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Yet with the exact length of Antonelli’s contract unspecified, and team-mate George Russell’s current deal set to expire at the end of F1 2025, Mercedes are expected to renew their interest in Verstappen ahead of the major F1 2026 rule changes, for which the team’s preparations are believed to be advanced.

Meanwhile, Aston Martin firmly denied a newspaper report last week that they have been attempting to woo potential sponsors by claiming that Verstappen will join the team in the near future.

An Aston Martin statement to PlanetF1.com read:?“An Aston Martin Aramco spokesperson categorically denied the story.”

PlanetF1.com understands that Aston Martin’s current drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll, are under contract for at least the next two seasons.

Aston Martin’s signing of F1 design legend Adrian Newey from Red Bull, and the team’s impending works partnership with Red Bull’s current engine suppliers Honda for F1 2026, has seen the Silverstone-based outfit linked with an ambitious bid for Verstappen.

Horner told media including PlanetF1.com at last year’s Dutch Grand Prix that Verstappen’s contract contains a “performance element” potentially allowing him to leave the team before 2028 if Red Bull cannot provide a competitive car.

It has been speculated that Verstappen will be free to trigger an exit clause if he is lower than third in the Drivers’ standings after a “significant” part of the F1 2025 season has been completed.

Marko believes that Red Bull can avert the worst-case scenario of Verstappen walking away, revealing that the team have made encouraging progress with the development of the new RB21 car for F1 2025.

And he is convinced that the Dutchman will remain a Red Bull driver for F1 2026 after adding a fifth title to his collection this year.

Marko told German publication Sport Bild: “I don’t comment on the content of the contract, but in any case we are confident that we can provide Max with a good car.

“Our engineers have made good progress with the data. We are optimistic.”

Asked specifically about Mercedes interest in Verstappen, Marko replied: “That’s all well and good, but Max has a contract with us until the end of 2028.”

The 81-year-old went on to claim that Verstappen’s affection for the Red Bull team will lead to him staying put, adding: “Especially because I know how loyal and grateful he is to Red Bull.

“That is why he will also be a Red Bull driver in 2026 as a five-time World Champion.”

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In a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Wolff revealed that talks with Verstappen last year were shelved when the Red Bull driver informed him that he was content with life at his current team.

He said: “There was never a plan [to sign Verstappen]. We always talked and kept the line of communication open.

“At some point he said that he wanted to stay where he was for the time being because it felt right for him.

“And I said that we would go with Kimi because it also felt right for us.

“And now we’ll see where it takes us.”

Mercedes previously emerged as F1’s dominant force following the introduction of the V6-hybrid engine rules in 2014, embarking upon an unprecedented spell of dominance.

The Brackley-based team stormed to a record eight consecutive Constructors’ Championships and seven Drivers’ titles split between Hamilton (six) and Nico Rosberg (one).

Mercedes have struggled to hit the same heights under the ground-effect regulations in place since 2022, with Hamilton and Russell restricted to just five wins between them over the last three seasons.

However, Mercedes have been hotly tipped to ace the new rules for F1 2026, which include the biggest engine changes since 2014 with a move to 50 per cent electrification and fully sustainable fuel.

Red Bull’s in-house Powertrains division will enter a new technical partnership with US giants Ford in 2026 following Honda’s switch to Aston Martin.

In an exclusive interview with PlanetF1.com, Horner recently admitted that Red Bull’s newly established engine department is “by far the biggest challenge” the team have faced since arriving on the grid two decades ago.

He said: “2026 will be a complete reset, and building your own power unit, four years ago, we had a clean sheet of paper.

“In four years, we built a factory and developed an engine, but we’re taking on 75 years of experience with Ferrari and 30 years with HPP (Mercedes High Performance Powertrains), so we have no illusions.

“The mountain that we have to climb is immense but with the right spirit, and the right quality people that we have within the business, it will be achievable.

“It’s by far the biggest challenge that we’ve taken on in Formula 1.”

Read next:?How Max Verstappen to Mercedes could shake up F1 2026 driver market

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