Montoya claims Verstappen has contacted Mercedes as Russell faces replacement. Juan Pablo Montoya claims Max Verstappen has already called Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

A mid-field Verstappen

Twelve points across the first three race weekends: to find such a meager points haul in Max Verstappen’s career, we must go back to 2015, when the Dutchman was just starting in Formula 1 with Toro Rosso. This sudden return to the back of the pack, with a Red Bull struggling even to be the fourth strongest team in the championship, has frustrated the superstar. Verstappen is now even contemplating leaving a sport he no longer recognizes. According to Juan Pablo Montoya, however, his frustration is primarily linked to the lack of competitiveness of the RB22.

Montoya’s comments

For the Colombian, Max Verstappen should consider Mercedes’ overtures, as the team tried persistently to recruit the Dutchman in 2024: “Max should call Toto Wolff, who will be ready to sign him. In fact, I guarantee that call has already happened,” Montoya commented to Casinostugan. Wolff, according to Montoya, would even be willing to sacrifice George Russell to secure Verstappen: “Given Kimi Antonelli’s victories in the last two races, this is the perfect moment to make that decisive move.”

The F1 departure scenario

Moving Verstappen to Mercedes, however, remains a difficult scenario. First, the Dutchman has repeatedly expressed his dislike for the new generation of cars—criticism unrelated to fears of being less competitive, since he voiced it already in 2023. The four-time world champion does not take these matters lightly, as former Red Bull team principal Chris Horner knows well, having been dismissed last summer partly to restore harmony after tensions with Verstappen’s family that began at the end of 2023.

Moreover, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have multi-year contracts with Mercedes, and Verstappen himself is tied to Red Bull until the end of 2028. Nevertheless, it is likely that Toto Wolff has included clauses that could still allow him to approach the Dutchman, who could potentially free himself in the summer if he is not at least second in the championship standings.

Whether Max Verstappen chooses to defect to a rival or walk away from the grid entirely will define the next era of the sport. While Montoya remains convinced that the wheels are already in motion for a Mercedes switch, the technical challenges of the RB22 and Verstappen’s own philosophy on the current regulations suggest that the “bombshell” of the 2026 season is still very much a developing story.