F1 Rumor: Max Verstappen's Team Still Exploring Mercedes Move After Monaco Disaster

According to David 'Crofty' Croft of Sky Sports F1, there is still a possibility that reigning champion Max Verstappen and his team are exploring the idea of the driver moving from Red Bull to Mercedes. This comes after a number of reports from the paddock of internal disputes within the ranks of the Milton Keynes outfit, plus questions arising over the team's 2026 powertrain development.

The speculation had already sparked earlier this season at the Bahrain Grand Prix following controversies involving Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner. This intrigue was fueled further by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff's known admiration for Verstappen, particularly as he eyes the Dutch driver's prowess in the face of the 2026 F1 regulatory changes. Adding to the rampant speculation, the presence of Max's father, Jos Verstappen, at the Monaco race seemed to hint at more than just a casual visit, igniting further discussion about a possible team change.

David Croft noted the particular persistence of these rumors during the Monaco weekend during the Sky F1 podcast.

"Let’s go back to Monaco where the Verstappen to Mercedes rumors started being talked about again... then someone might have come to the race in Monaco that we hadn’t seen at the track for a while that might be quite close to Max Verstappen," Croft speculated. "You get the impression, and I had a couple of wonderful text messages over the Monaco weekend from people who’d heard Jos talking and saying ‘Max going to Mercedes, you know, that's not dead in the water yet.”

Meanwhile, Red Bull's momentary dip in performance, especially at the principality, adds another layer to the speculations. Simon Lazenby from Sky Sports pointed to the team's current troubles, stating:

“For Red Bull this is as shaky it’s been for a couple of years hasn’t it? If you’re trying to keep your top man and all of a sudden it’s looking like it’s got a baked-in problem they can’t get around with setup changes which is what is going on with this RB20.”

While the rumors about Verstappen's move swirl, Wolff and Mercedes remain vigilant, monitoring not just their own powertrain development - coined to be far superior to Red Bull and Ford's for 2026, something that Verstappen may have in the back of his mind - but also keeping a close eye on Red Bull’s team dynamics.

However, Lazenby tempered expectations about an imminent switch for Verstappen to Mercedes, adding, “We’re nearing a point now that it's more likely if I was a betting man to say it’s Antonelli going into Mercedes and Verstappen staying.”

David Croft summed up the scenario:

“It’s quite clear that there’s still a bit of a ground that needs to be resolved in that particular conversation. Logically, Max stays exactly where he is. But when has logic ever formed part of a discussion on this one? Especially in F1.”