Red Bull reportedly won’t block Verstappen if he chooses Mercedes

Max Verstappen could switch to Mercedes without being blocked by Red Bull, according to two respected Formula 1 sources, Germany's f1-insider.com and Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.

The rumour mill continues to swirl following speculation that Verstappen and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff met in Sardinia between the British and Belgian grands prix, with their yachts reportedly moored side by side.

"You don't need a random vacation spot to hold final talks about a contract," Ralf Schumacher remarked, suggesting something more formal may be going on behind the scenes.

Even Nelson Piquet Jr - brother of Verstappen’s partner Kelly - believes a deal is in the works.

"They are negotiating," he said on the Pelas Pistas podcast. "Everyone knows that. The final details of the contract are still being worked out, but everyone knows that it is an option."

Piquet added that Verstappen would prefer to remain at Red Bull, but admitted the team's internal dysfunction has become hard to ignore.

"I heard that they are having trouble attracting and retaining key personnel," he revealed. "Some of them didn't like the environment there. Certain minor issues with Max's father surfaced, and that bothered people.

"According to some, it would be harder to bring back key people as long as Horner was involved with the team. That's what people have been saying."

The core issue, Piquet claims, was Christian Horner's increasing desire for control.

"There was a suggestion to divide it up a bit more, but Horner didn't want that," he said. "He wanted control of everything, both teams, the engines. Everything.

"If he'd gotten all the power, it would have been a huge boost for him, and if he didn't get it, he'll receive a whopping sum of almost $100 million."

Red Bull is still believed to be finalising Horner's severance deal, while reports suggest Mercedes CEO Ola Källenius has already given Toto Wolff the go-ahead to pursue Verstappen.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, talks are expected to conclude by the end of August, with an announcement to follow shortly after the summer break.

It remains unclear whether George Russell or Kimi Antonelli would be the one to make way for Verstappen at Mercedes, though Wolff is reportedly open to loaning Antonelli to Alpine, a fellow Mercedes-powered team in 2026. Ralf Schumacher believes the momentum is with Mercedes.

"I think Silverstone showed Max that Red Bull won't be able to turn things around despite all their efforts," he said. "In the end, it's about his career, not loyalty. If Mercedes shows him they're doing everything they can to get him, he'll switch.

"It's also not pleasant for Mercedes to be losing to McLaren, who after all use the same engine. With Max, they could turn the balance of power back again in 2026."

Still, Red Bull is not giving up hope. New performance upgrades are expected at the upcoming rounds in Belgium and Hungary.

"We still have half the season plus four sprint races left," said advisor Dr Helmut Marko. "There are a lot of points left and the improvements in Belgium should bring us closer to McLaren. We don't believe the fight for the world championship is over."