2025 Mercedes-AMG | Petronas F1 Team

[Luscion]

The Max to Mercedes rumors might become real.

Did I miss some more news/gossip today?

no, not sure where thats coming from

[Macklaren]

The Max to Mercedes rumors might become real.

Did I miss some more news/gossip today?

no, not sure where thats coming from

Supposedly the DNF triggers the exit clause in Max's contract so makes the switch easy

[FittingMechanics]

To me it looks like Max to Mercedes is a done deal. Everyone in Mercedes is tiptoeing around Verstappen (even after road rage incident).

I do think Russel is not 100% sure he is leaving the team, so he plays along and is trying to see if he can retain his seat. Not sure this is likely. Max probably has a big say for the second driver and Antonelli while a talent is not entrenched in the team like Russell is.

On the upside (for Mercedes powered teams) it seems Max believes the engine for 2026 will be good.

[MB_Racer]

To me it looks like Max to Mercedes is a done deal. Everyone in Mercedes is tiptoeing around Verstappen (even after road rage incident).

I do think Russel is not 100% sure he is leaving the team, so he plays along and is trying to see if he can retain his seat. Not sure this is likely. Max probably has a big say for the second driver and Antonelli while a talent is not entrenched in the team like Russell is.

On the upside (for Mercedes powered teams) it seems Max believes the engine for 2026 will be good.

At least one good news this weekend…

[Macklaren]

To me it looks like Max to Mercedes is a done deal. Everyone in Mercedes is tiptoeing around Verstappen (even after road rage incident).

I do think Russel is not 100% sure he is leaving the team, so he plays along and is trying to see if he can retain his seat. Not sure this is likely. Max probably has a big say for the second driver and Antonelli while a talent is not entrenched in the team like Russell is.

On the upside (for Mercedes powered teams) it seems Max believes the engine for 2026 will be good.

I think Max's subdued reaction to Kimi destroying his race speaks volumes

[zibby43]

To me it looks like Max to Mercedes is a done deal. Everyone in Mercedes is tiptoeing around Verstappen (even after road rage incident).

I do think Russel is not 100% sure he is leaving the team, so he plays along and is trying to see if he can retain his seat. Not sure this is likely. Max probably has a big say for the second driver and Antonelli while a talent is not entrenched in the team like Russell is.

On the upside (for Mercedes powered teams) it seems Max believes the engine for 2026 will be good.

I think Max's subdued reaction to Kimi destroying his race speaks volumes

I was reflecting on that as well.

[kurtj]

To me it looks like Max to Mercedes is a done deal. Everyone in Mercedes is tiptoeing around Verstappen (even after road rage incident).

I do think Russel is not 100% sure he is leaving the team, so he plays along and is trying to see if he can retain his seat. Not sure this is likely. Max probably has a big say for the second driver and Antonelli while a talent is not entrenched in the team like Russell is.

On the upside (for Mercedes powered teams) it seems Max believes the engine for 2026 will be good.

FIA is already looking at avoid one constructor having dominance in 2026. It would be a disaster if they did allow one engine to dominate.

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/04/ ... oid%20this.

If FIA successfully ensures engines converge (by way of moderating battery power allowance), then it would once again come down to a good chassis to gain advantage. George should be signing for Aston Martin. Honda is no slouch when it comes to engine manufacturing, while Andy Cowell is leading Aston Martin. With Newey being there, it would be a far better bet than staying at Mercedes.

[Hammerfist]

To me it looks like Max to Mercedes is a done deal. Everyone in Mercedes is tiptoeing around Verstappen (even after road rage incident).

I do think Russel is not 100% sure he is leaving the team, so he plays along and is trying to see if he can retain his seat. Not sure this is likely. Max probably has a big say for the second driver and Antonelli while a talent is not entrenched in the team like Russell is.

On the upside (for Mercedes powered teams) it seems Max believes the engine for 2026 will be good.

FIA is already looking at avoid one constructor having dominance in 2026. It would be a disaster if they did allow one engine to dominate.

https://www.motorsportweek.com/2025/04/ ... oid%20this.

If FIA successfully ensures engines converge (by way of moderating battery power allowance), then it would once again come down to a good chassis to gain advantage. George should be signing for Aston Martin. Honda is no slouch when it comes to engine manufacturing, while Andy Cowell is leading Aston Martin. With Newey being there, it would be a far better bet than staying at Mercedes.

yeah it's obvious Aston Martin is a good spot to go to. I'm a little baffled that the Verstappen camp does not have much interest in it.

[Matt2725]

And yet as far as I can tell, there is still nothing to suggest anything is a done deal.

He can't sign anything without informing RBR as he'd need to buy out his contract first. RBR don't do nicely nicely on that sort of thing and would have put out a press release already.

They have no loyalty to Verstappen after a decision to leave like that.

Either way, I'm still expecting Mercedes to announce up to a 2 year extension for George next weekend.

[zibby43]

And yet as far as I can tell, there is still nothing to suggest anything is a done deal.

He can't sign anything without informing RBR as he'd need to buy out his contract first. RBR don't do nicely nicely on that sort of thing and would have put out a press release already.

They have no loyalty to Verstappen after a decision to leave like that.

Either way, I'm still expecting Mercedes to announce up to a 2 year extension for George next weekend.

It would be a well-deserved extension for George. He's extracting the maximum from the car and is performing as one of the top 3 drivers on the grid thus far this year, IMO.

[Quantum]

It would be a well-deserved extension for George. He's extracting the maximum from the car and is performing as one of the top 3 drivers on the grid thus far this year, IMO.

100%, George has been top notch for 2 season now. And from historical precedent Merc do their driver business in late July through to August.

[JordanMugen]

Either way, I'm still expecting Mercedes to announce up to a 2 year extension for George next weekend.

Of course. Whether Antonelli is loaned to Alpine or Cadillac is independent of George's drive.

It would be great to see the Russell/Verstappen super team at Mercedes (or indeed at Red Bull if Mercedes dither and Red Bull provides the more attractive contract offer to the Brit).

[Quantum]

Either way, I'm still expecting Mercedes to announce up to a 2 year extension for George next weekend.

Of course. Whether Antonelli is loaned to Alpine or Cadillac is independent of George's drive.

It would be great to see the Russell/Verstappen super team at Mercedes (or indeed at Red Bull if Mercedes dither and Red Bull provides the more attractive contract offer to the Brit).

I dont think George would willingly move to Red Bull knowing there is potential for power train issues.
Especially as his net worth is listed at north of 15m dollars, attractive contract offers can't hide that Newey, Marshall, Wheatley and Honda have or are leaving, and possibly Verstappen.
From the outside it looks like a sinking ship. Results reflect it too. 45 wins in 54 races to 4 in 25 is pretty stark. Especially in the same rule set.
Wache is no Newey either. I reckon the more likely option for George is Aston(If Max signs for Merc), where he can be another Newey Merchant.

[Lasssept]

[Tonino]

I'm fairly certain Toto and Max are having discussions about 2027, not 2026. Unless something unexpected happens, Max will stay at Red Bull next year, and George is going to sign an extension before the summer break.