Verstappen’s camp held talks with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who needed a replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. Kimi Antonelli was always the most realistic option, and the academy graduate will indeed partner George Russell next year.
Helmut Marko’s contract extension removed an exit clause in Verstappen’s contract, which runs until the end of 2028. Marko’s future had been in doubt in the context of his power struggle with Christian Horner.
Marko and Horner called a ‘truce’, perhaps out of necessity given the possibility of Verstappen leaving. But there are other means by which he could depart.
Verstappen can move before the 2026 regulation changes as he looks to extend his dominance into a new era. One report claims this is contingent on Red Bull’s performance next year.
The clause could become active after the early rounds of the season. Verstappen would be free to go if he’s outside the top three in the championship at that stage.
Talks between team Verstappen and Mercedes have been placed on hold. And speaking on The Race F1 podcast, journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm suggested this was due to the demands of the title fight.
When he won the Spanish Grand Prix in June, Verstappen led the standings by 69 points. With seven victories from 10 races, he looked set to extend the margin and once again win the title with multiple races to spare.
Instead, Lando Norris has reduced his lead to 52 points. His dominance in the Netherlands and Singapore after the summer break suggests he’s capable of overturning that deficit with six races and three Sprints to go.
In these circumstances, Verstappen and his team must avoid any ‘distractions’. The off-season may be the ideal time to resume negotiations should both parties wish.
“It would not surprise me if that was a conscious decision of ‘actually, all this noise is a distraction for Red Bull, it might be a distraction for Max, we need to park this’,” Mitchell-Malm said. “His sole focus needs to be on closing out 2024.
“I wonder if that was deliberate, rather than these conversations with Wolff and Mercedes have run their course for now.”
Verstappen, Norris and co. may be glad of the four-week break they’ve enjoyed since Singapore. It gives the teams a chance to prepare their final upgrades, and the drivers a moment to rest.
The run-in will be frantic, with two triple-headers split by a three-week interval. Verstappen is worried drivers could get sick given the configuration of the schedule.
He’s particularly concerned that Las Vegas and Qatar are running back-to-back despite the fact the countries are more than eight thousand miles apart. He says this could induce fatigue and increase the risk of illness.
If he can preserve his current lead, he could wrap up the title in Vegas. But with Verstappen facing another engine penalty, the fight could well go all the way to Abu Dhabi.