Martin Brundle ‘certain’ of Max Verstappen decision as Mercedes rumours swirl

Red Bull Racing has gone through some dramatic changes over the past few weeks, but Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle believes that Max Verstappen will remain one constant into the F1 2026 season.

According to Brundle, Verstappen is “certain” to remain with Red Bull despite recent rumours of a move to Mercedes.

Max Verstappen: Is Red Bull still his future?

Questions about Max Verstappen’s future in Formula 1 have been swirling for weeks, only to be exacerbated by recent high-profile departures in the Red Bull Racing camp.

The once-dominant team seems to have lost its foothold on the sport of Formula 1, with McLaren stepping up to inherit the lead of the constructors’ standings and its drivers putting on an impressive showing this year.

This has resulted in rumours that Verstappen may be looking for a new future at a more promising team — perhaps Mercedes.

With both of the German team’s drivers yet to sign a contract for F1 2026 and beyond, and with boss Toto Wolff having expressed interest in attracting a talent like Verstappen, it seemed as though something drastic would need to change at Red Bull to keep its star driver.

Those drastic changes have come: Longtime team principal and CEO Christian Horner was let go with immediate effect after the British Grand Prix, along with several other staff members.

Now, according Brundle, the narrative has changed.

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During the Sky F1’s broadcast ahead of Free Practice 1 in Belgium, Brundle was asked if he felt that the sudden departures from the team must come down to performance — and what that implied for the future.

He replied, “Max yesterday was like: ‘It’s all about having a fast car. I just want a fast car.’

“I think it means he will now stay; I’m certain he will now stay at Red Bull for 2026 and see what happens.”

That certainty is a major shift when compared to recent speculation centering on Verstappen’s future — and Brundle claims that “a conversation I had last night seemed to confirm” that the reigning champion would indeed remain with his team.

Why? Well, things could be worse.

“The performance — it’s not diabolical, exactly, is it?” Brundle asked. “A wet Sunday, they could win the grand prix. The team’s got momentum.”

Indeed, Verstappen has taken two victories in the F1 2025 season and has still amassed 165 points in the drivers’ championship.

That’s a far cry from his previous dominance and still leaves him short of the victory totals held by both McLaren teammates, but it nevertheless outshines the performance on offer by Mercedes.

Brundle was asked if it’s the team that has momentum, or if it’s Verstappen himself, to which he replied:”And this is the crux of it.

“I think the mistake they’ve all made at Red Bull is allowing it to become a one-driver team. The tail wags the dog there for quite a long time.

“They’ve had what appears to be some dreadful driver decisions that had some common sense up front. When they put a driver in, he was going well somewhere else.

“I think all of that played out, and then, Christian wanting to keep hold of the overall control of direction and every aspect of the team.”

Brundle, though, seems confident that Verstappen will remain with Red Bull if only because it is a known quantity.

Read next: Why Christian Horner’s exit isn’t a factor in Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future