The Max Verstappen-to-Mercedes rumour just shifted into overdrive — and this time, the tea isn’t coming from Twitter trolls or shady “insiders”. It’s from someone very close to Max himself. Like, family close.
Yep. Nelson Piquet Jr — brother of Max’s girlfriend Kelly Piquet — has casually revealed that the Red Bull champ is deep in talks with Mercedes about a blockbuster F1 switch. And according to him, it’s not just talk. It’s “almost done”.
“They’re talking. Everyone knows.”
Speaking on Brazil’s Pelas Pistas podcast, Piquet Jr dropped the bomb when asked about Max’s messy British GP. “Who knows next year, with Max there…” he teased, before straight-up confirming: “They are talking. Everyone knows, right?”
That sound you hear? Toto Wolff furiously refreshing WhatsApp.
Yacht Watch: Sardinia Edition 🛥️
To be fair, the signs were already there. Toto and Max’s boats were spotted a suspiciously short distance apart in Sardinia recently. And George Russell himself admitted Mercedes had been in talks with potential 2026 teammates. Now we know Max was one of them.
Just a signature away?
According to Piquet, things have progressed beyond the “let’s grab lunch” stage. He says the switch is basically pending final contract tweaks.
“Just missing final contract details… but it’s an option. They are talking.”
As for the theory that Max could take a break from F1 in 2026 to reassess? Not happening. “He will be on the grid,” Piquet confirmed. The only question: whose colours will he be flying?
August Deadline. Tick. Tock. ⏳
There’s apparently a decision deadline too. Piquet says Max has until August to make his call — stay loyal to a Red Bull team that’s looking shakier than ever, or link up with Toto’s post-Hamilton rebuild.
So when podcast host Thiago Alves asked the obvious question — “Would it be cool for him to stay or switch?” — Piquet didn’t hesitate:
“To switch.”
So… is Max leaving Red Bull?
It’s still unofficial. But this is the clearest sign yet that Verstappen is seriously considering walking away from the team that made him champion. And if Piquet Jr is right, Mercedes might already be warming up the welcome party.
Watch this space. 🔥
