Bernie Ecclestone: “If Max Verstappen joins Mercedes, Kimi Antonelli would make room for him”. Bernie Ecclestone on Max Verstappen's F1 future.

What future for Max?
Recently, Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko revealed that Max Verstappen’s release clause could be triggered during the summer break if the car’s performance doesn’t meet expectations. From the words of the former Austrian driver, it can be inferred that this option would become active if the Dutch driver were in a certain position in the standings or with a predetermined points gap from the leader – which has not yet been achieved.

Mercedes, reality or fantasy market?
Not a day goes by without some pundit or journalist linking Max Verstappen’s name to a potential move to Mercedes. If the Dutch driver were to call Toto Wolff, many wonder how the Vienna manager would respond, given that the performances of George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli are currently satisfying for the Silver Arrows.

Renowned journalist Roger Benoit from Blick also believes that Mercedes would “welcome Max Verstappen with open arms,” while he called a potential move to Aston Martin “fantasy.”
And regarding the Mercedes-Max Verstappen pairing, Blick spoke to Bernie Ecclestone, who stated: “If Max were to go to Mercedes, the one likely to make room for him would be young Kimi Antonelli, who has, however, already shown great performances so far.”