Max Verstappen gives awkward answer when asked if he’d be driving for Mercedes in F1 next year
Published on Jul 25, 2025 at 7:58 AM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jul 25, 2025 at 11:52 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Tom Wood
Formula One star Max Verstappen gave an awkward and somewhat unusual answer when asked if he would be still be driving for Red Bull Racing next year.
Verstappen first joined Red Bull back in 2014 as a junior and made his way into the main team a couple of years later.
He hit the ground running, becoming the youngest person to ever win a Formula 1 Grand Prix at the age of 18 years and 228 days, and success has followed him ever since.
However, in recent weeks, rumors have swirled that the F1 star could be leaving Red Bull and heading to Mercedes.
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Max Verstappen had an odd response when asked about leaving Red Bull
The rumor mill ramped up following the dramatic departure of Red Bull CEO Christian Horner earlier this year.
“Red Bull has released Christian Horner from his operational duties with effect from today and has appointed Laurent Mekies as CEO (chief executive) of Red Bull Racing,” Red Bull GmbH said in a statement on July 9, 2025.
After the sacking, fans were convinced Max Verstappen is also set to depart Red Bull and thought they had found ‘proof’ after tracking his private jet.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that Verstappen’s private jet flew to Sardinia, where Mercedes boss Toto Wolff also happened to be.
Wolff has previously made it clear that he would be keen on hiring Verstappen.
Now, Verstappen has given an odd, and slightly awkward response when asked if there was a chance he might not be driving for Red Bull next year.
“There is also a possibility I don’t wake up tomorrow,” he said, according to Sky Sports.
“So then there is no driving at all.
“Life is unpredictable. But in general, I’m very happy where I’m at.
“And I would hope that still… the target that we set out when we signed the new deal, that I would drive here until the end of my career.”
It’s also important to note that Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028, but there are release clauses.
Verstappen has said Horner’s sacking has no influence on his F1 future
Although much of the speculation about Verstappen’s possible exit came following Horner’s sacking.
The 27-year-old has now said that Horner leaving Red Bull won’t influence the decisions he’s making about his own F1 future.
“It has no influence on what I’m doing,” he said.
“At the end of the day, the team made a decision to do that, and now, from our side, we just have to look forward. There are a lot of things that we want to work on and be better at, and hopefully, we just keep doing that.”
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Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Claire covers a wide variety of topics, with a special focus on cars, technology, planes, cryptocurrency, and luxury.
