Max Verstappen is reportedly reluctant to swap Red Bull for Mercedes next season because he is far from convinced by the car the Silver Arrows can offer him.

Verstappen’s future at Red Bull is in doubt following the departure of Adrian Newey in the wake of the Christian Horner drama. Horner was cleared by an internal investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, but technical guru Newey still decided to walk away next year.

The turmoil has disrupted Verstappen, who despite once again leading in the Formula 1 standings, is considering his future. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has made it clear he’d like to recruit the Dutchman, who is under contract with Red Bull until 2026, to replace the outgoing Lewis Hamilton, but he faces a difficult task to convince him.

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes can’t provide a bar that Verstappen ‘would want to sit in’ and they therefore face an uphill battle. The Silver Arrows have been way off the pace set by Red Bull in recent years and are currently fourth in the constructors’ race, behind Ferrari and McLaren.

George Russell is the only driver contracted to Mercedes for next season and Wolff has not shied away from links with Verstappen. "There's always plenty of meetings. I can't really say about the second driver. I think we've talked about the possibilities. I want to be fair to these guys and not make it look like we are playing chess with humans, because we are not doing that," he said after the Miami GP.

"I think we want to take our time, see where Max's thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers. Carlos [Sainz] was very strong in Miami again and that's why we are a little bit on an observation mode at the moment."

"As I said before, if I was him, I wouldn't leave, at least for 2025. But it's all in his… he's the leading the driver, he's the top guy at the moment and that's why it's for him to take those decisions. There may not be any decisions to take, maybe everything continues like it is, but that is then also guidance for us."

Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has summed up the difficult decision Verstappen is facing. “For next year Mercedes is the only option for Max,” he told Sky Sports Germany.

“Ferrari is full. Max is not stressed. If he decides to leave the team in 2026, anything is possible. At Mercedes, Toto Wolff is not only the team principal but also the CEO. Anyone would hold any door open for Max. But I'd rather see him at Red Bull unless the whole thing explodes.”