McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown has spoken about the future for Max Verstappen in Formula 1, forecasting that the current World Champion will leave Red Bull at the conclusion of the 2025 season.

As F1 prepares for a drastic regulation change in 2026, Brown is convinced that Verstappen will choose to start anew with Mercedes, which he identifies as best poised to adapt to the changes in engine regulation on the horizon.

Could Verstappen Be Mercedes-Bound?

Verstappen is now in the business of creating history for Red Bull with an aim at achieving a record fifth straight World Championship. Yet, already competition is mounting with McLaren setting an aggressive tone in Australia. Lando Norris drove an exceptional race, dominating qualifying and then repelling Verstappen in a thrilling wet-weather climax.

Although he finished less than a second behind Norris, Verstappen admitted that Red Bull’s RB21 is not yet at the level needed to consistently challenge for wins. With the Chinese Grand Prix up next, he acknowledged the team still has work to do.

Looking back at his performance in Australia, Verstappen commented: “I think it’s good versus the cars behind us, but if you look at the first stint, we were quite far off.

“As soon as the tyres began to overheat, we were done. McLaren just went away.

“So, we still have a lot of work to do to battle for a win.”.

“But yeah, I’m pleased we’re second here. It’s effectively one place ahead of where we might have been [with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri spinning out of P2]. And it’s 18 more points than I had at this race last year.”

Red Bull had also been the dominant team in F1’s ground-effect era, but last year saw them dip slightly, with Verstappen remaining winless for 10 races. This slump has generated speculation regarding his future, particularly as Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko and team boss Christian Horner have both confirmed that Verstappen’s contract carries a performance-based clause.

With questions about Red Bull’s longer-term competitiveness, Mercedes and Aston Martin have been the most probable alternatives for Verstappen if he were to leave. Brown does, though, believe that if Verstappen were to depart, Mercedes would be his destination.

With the massive overhaul of F1’s engine rules in 2026, Mercedes’ past history of flourishing with novel technical architectures might be a determining factor for Verstappen. The seasons ahead will be pivotal in deciding his future, and if Brown’s prophecy holds true, a Mercedes-Verstappen partnership might revolutionize the competitive balance in Formula 1.