Toto Wolff’s Max Verstappen ‘fantasy’ questioned amid power unit rumours

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Despite rumours Mercedes’ 2026 power unit will be “good”, Naomi Schiff cannot see Max Verstappen joining the Brackley squad unless they can “guarantee” him an all-around winning package.

Although Verstappen has twice publicly committed his future to his “family” at Red Bull for the F1 2025 championship, that hasn’t shut the door on speculation he could head to Mercedes in 2026 when F1 overhauls both the engine and technical regulations.

Max Verstappen to Mercedes, fantasy or could it happen?

But on that topic, it is one apiece for Mercedes and Red Bull.

The last time Formula 1 changed the power unit regulations it was the Brackley squad who came out on top, winning seven championship doubles from 2014 to 2020.

However, the last time new cars were put on the track, it was Red Bull who went on a charge with Verstappen chasing his third World title in the ground-effect aerodynamic era – which would be his fourth overall.

But today no one can say for certain who will come out on top in 2026.

Last month Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff, a huge supporter of Verstappen, was asked about a rumour that Mercedes’ 2026 power unit could be the fastest on the grid.

He told Mundo Deportivo: “I would love it to be very fast, but we don’t know what the goals of others and their development are.

“I think it’s always dangerous to believe rumours, because you might look like a fool in 2026 thinking you’re setting the standard and the benchmark, and then suddenly realizing you’re not there.

“So I prefer to see it on the track with the stopwatch in hand.”

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Verstappen would maybe like that same opportunity given he’s said to be deciding between Red Bull and Mercedes for his long-term F1 future. Even though he has a contract with the Milton Keynes team, Wolff continues to publicly court him.

But unless Mercedes can “guarantee” him a car that will fight for the 2026 World Championship title, former motor racing driver turned pundit Schiff can’t see the point in him leaving Red Bull.

“There’s this fantasy of waiting for Max Verstappen to maybe make a decision to leave Red Bull,” she told Sky F1, “which in my opinion, yes, there have been rumours about the Mercedes engine being good for ’26 but if they can’t guarantee him a seat that’s going to win a championship then what’s the point of leaving Red Bull at this point?

“Other than maybe the conflict that’s going on between his dad and Christian and all the noise around the team. Maybe that could be a reason he says I want to pull the plug on this.”

As for his thoughts on his 2025 driver line up and the driver who will replace the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, Wolff told Autosport Wereld that while Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli is his “first option”, Verstappen is still an “alternative scenario”.

“But,” he accepted, “at the moment that doesn’t seem realistic to me.”

He added: “I will continue to observe the market. I am not sure how things will evolve further at Red Bull.”

Nico Rosberg believes when all is said and done it will be Antonelli who is in the car alongside George Russell, saying: “Let’s go with Antonelli, because that will be the most exciting one apart from Verstappen.”

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