Juan Pablo Montoya spots ‘sign’ of Max Verstappen move to Mercedes, suggests contract is being discussed

Mercedes are not performing much better than Red Bull this year, with George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli below Verstappen in the drivers’ championship.

But with Red Bull facing questions over their 2026 car development – including a brand new power unit built in-house for the first time – there are growing doubts about their ability to turn things around next season.

Juan Pablo Montoya has shared his thoughts on where Verstappen might end up next season, pointing to a recent comment from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff as evidence that a move could be on the cards.

Juan Pablo Montoya believes Mercedes are already preparing Max Verstappen’s 2026 contract

Speaking on the MontoyAS Podcast about Horner’s exit, Montoya said: “For me, personally, it’s more on the side of Jos Verstappen than Max.

“What was said, and what we’ve heard, on the Sunday [at the British Grand Prix], the head of communications for Red Bull Racing was shouting at Jos.

“If that was true, and that Christian got involved, and the result of that is that they took out Christian, because right now, Red Bull is in a bad way. They are afraid of doing anything that might upset Verstappen because they don’t want to lose him.

“If you notice last week Max went straight from telling the team everything was perfect to sitting down and talking to Toto Wolff.”

Juan Pablo Montoya sees signs of a Verstappen move to Mercedes

Montoya was then asked if he believed that something had already been agreed between Mercedes and Verstappen, and continued: “Yes, for Max to look his best, it’s probably a sign.

“By the time Max gets to that point in the conversation, it’s because they’ve already seen the contracts, they’ve spoken about everything, they’ve already decided everything, and if you understand me, it’s the last one.

“Come on, let’s work together! OK, sign here, let’s go. I’m sure they wanted to sign up front.

“They are not going to send a contract, the first contract, they are not going to do it remotely.

“So I think it could be that way. I personally see Max more at Mercedes than anywhere else.”

Montoya also addressed what this could mean for Russell: “And the million-dollar question is should we really get rid of Russell?”

He continued: “Mercedes have always tried to have the best team. And I really like Antonelli but at the moment Antonelli lacks experience.

“He has speed but are they going to gamble on him being Max’s number two?

“Tell me how many teammates Max has had and how many have survived Formula 1.”

Mercedes could have a tough choice to make if Verstappen leaves Red Bull

Should Verstappen decide that his best next step for 2026 is to join Mercedes, then the F1 driver market suddenly becomes far more open.

If Verstappen does make the move, it’s likely that Mercedes will part ways with Russell. In that case, a direct swap would be the most straightforward option.

Still, Russell has outperformed Antonelli this season, and keeping the British driver alongside Verstappen might be the more competitive choice for next year.

Wolff might also consider whether he wants to risk repeating the kind of tense rivalry seen between Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in previous years.