Max Verstappen “won’t be” at Red Bull at the start of the F1 2026 season amid persistent rumours of a move to Mercedes. That is the opinion of former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos, who believes it will “be difficult” for the team to convince the newly crowned four-time World Champion to stay beyond next season.

Four-time champion Max Verstappen has revealed that he had previously tried to tempt 2024 championship rival Lando Norris to Red Bull. After celebrating his fourth consecutive Drivers' Championship title at the Las Vegas Grand Prix,

Verstappen responded with the greatest display of his F1 career. In rainy conditions, he charged through to victory, taking the lead at the same moment Norris slid down the order after a mistake at Turn 1. A symbolic moment of the diverging paths of their title aspirations.