It was reported today on Sky Italy that Max Verstappen is open to leaving Red Bull and joining Mercedes for the 2026 Formula One season, with talks intensifying before this weekends British Grand Prix.

This comes after the increasing speculation over the Austrian Grand Prix weekend on the future of George Russell with Mercedes. As Russel told Sky Sports F1 that his new deal with the 8-Time Constructors World Champions has been delayed due to the team having “ongoing discussions” with Max Verstappen’s team.

The 4-time World Champion has been in the sights of Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff from before Verstappen joined the Formula One grid in 2015. And since the departure of Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari the rumour mill of the Red Bull driver’s future have reached an all time high.

This story is ongoing, so stay tuned for more updates over the British Grand Prix weekend.