Max Verstappen to Mercedes gets ‘green light’ as new ‘biggest obstacle’ emerges – report

Ola Kallenius, the Mercedes chief executive, has reportedly approved the team’s move for Red Bull driver Max Verstappen for the F1 2026 season.

Despite being officially under contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season, Verstappen has been heavily linked with a move to Mercedes over recent weeks.

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Christian Horner, the now-former Red Bull team principal, confirmed to media including PlanetF1.com last year that Verstappen’s deal contains a “performance element” that could allow him to leave the team before 2028.

It is believed that Verstappen will be free to trigger an exit clause if he is lower than fourth in the Drivers’ standings after the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before F1’s summer break, at the start of August.

Verstappen currently holds third in the championship with an 18-point advantage over George Russell, the driver he would most likely replace at Mercedes.

Charles Leclerc, the Ferrari driver who currently occupies fifth place, sits a further 28 points back.

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A report by Sky Italy ahead of the recent British Grand Prix claimed that Verstappen is closing in on a deal to join Mercedes for F1 2026, with the move awaiting approval by the Mercedes board.

It came just days after Russell, who is out of contract at the end of 2025, revealed that talks to take Verstappen to Mercedes are “ongoing.”

A fresh report by La Gazzetta dello Sport has claimed that Mr Kallenius has now given ‘the green light’ to the signing of Verstappen.

It is said that Verstappen finding a way out of his Red Bull contract stands as ‘the biggest obstacle to overcome’ at this stage of proceedings, with Russell and Leclerc unlikely to catch the World Champion on points prior to the summer break.

The report adds that Verstappen could ‘seek other legal avenues’ to escape his Red Bull contract for F1 2026 if he is unable to meet the requirements necessary to activate his release clause.

Another potential scenario, it is claimed, could see Verstappen ‘signing on the quiet’ for Mercedes ‘right away’ with the deal only coming into effect in 2027.

A deal for Verstappen would represent an enormous financial commitment for Mercedes given the reigning four-time World Champion’s status as the highest-paid driver on the current grid.

According to PlanetF1.com estimates, Verstappen’s current Red Bull contract is believed to be worth around $75million (£55.8m/€64.2m at current exchange rates) per season.

For comparison, Russell is thought to be earning around $23m (£17.1m/€19.7m) in F1 2025 with rookie team-mate Andrea Kimi Antonelli netting roughly $2m (£1.4m/€1.7m).

Mr Kallenius, who succeeded Dieter Zetsche as Mercedes chairman in 2019, is thought to have been central to the team’s attempts to sign Verstappen over the last 12 months.

In 2024, the late F1 team owner Eddie Jordan claimed that Mr Kallenius had met with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff and one-third team owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe in Monaco to prepare a “fighting fund” to cover Verstappen’s salary, with the Red Bull driver said to be aware of the meeting.

During a visit to last year’s Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, meanwhile, Mr Kallenius quipped that Verstappen “would look good in silver” as he teased a move for the World Champion ahead of the big F1 2026 rule changes.

He told Sky Germany: “The best driver wants to have the best car. And that’s our job, to bring the best package together.

“The cards will be reshuffled in 2026. New order with new rules. That’s also an opportunity. Who knows?

“But I think Max would look good in silver, wouldn’t he?”

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Mercedes has largely struggled since the ground-effect regulations came into effect at the start of 2022, winning just six races over the last three-and-a-half seasons.

However, the team’s preparations for the F1 2026 rules – which will see the sport embrace 50 per cent electrification, fully sustainable fuels and active aerodynamics – are widely believed to be advanced.

Mercedes previously emerged as F1’s dominant force following the last engine regulation changes in 2014, winning a record eight consecutive Constructors’ titles and seven Drivers’ championships split between Lewis Hamilton (six) and Nico Rosberg (one).

Next season will see Red Bull produce its own engines for the first time via its newly established Powertrains division, which will work in collaboration with US giant Ford as current supplier Honda enters a technical partnership with the Aston Martin team.

A report in April claimed that only one engine manufacturer – thought to be Mercedes – is in ‘good shape’ for F1 2026 with its rivals all struggling to various degrees with the development of the new engines.

Speaking to media including PlanetF1.com at the British Grand Prix, just days before his Red Bull departure was announced, Horner admitted that it would be “embarrassing for Mercedes” if RBPT-Ford produce a more powerful engine for F1 2026.

He said: “Things go in cycles and sport goes in cycles.

“We’ve had two incredibly successful cycles in Formula 1 and what we want to do is build towards the next cycle.

“Now, of course, we want that to be with Max, but we understand the pressure that there is next year with us coming in as a new power unit manufacturer.

“The challenge of that is enormous. But we’ve got a hugely capable group of people. We’ve invested significantly. We’ve got a great culture within the team.

“Who knows? To expect us to be ahead of Mercedes next year is [unrealistic].

“It would be embarrassing for Mercedes if we were, or for any manufacturer.”