Over the summer, rumors reached fever pitch; by fall, they seemed to cool off — only for Christmas to bring the revelation: yes, Verstappen really will be racing for Mercedes. Just not in the series everyone was watching.
Why Verstappen Is a One-of-a-Kind Talent
Drivers like him come along once in a generation in Formula 1. The last time we saw this kind of impact was with Ayrton Senna — one individual capable of forcing entire teams to rebuild around him. Schumacher, Vettel, and Hamilton followed as legends in their own right, but without quite the same sense that a single driver could completely flip the script.
Verstappen is that driver right now. Paradoxically, one of his toughest seasons showcased his strength more than the years of total domination. The Red Bull wasn't the benchmark anymore, yet Max stayed in the championship fight until the very end. No wonder Sebastian Vettel summed it up perfectly: “What’s scary is that he keeps getting better.”
Mercedes Has Wanted Him for Years
Toto Wolff has never hidden his admiration for Verstappen. Back in the day, Red Bull essentially snatched him from under Mercedes' nose by promoting him to F1 before he even turned 18. Wolff had Hamilton, Russell, and later Antonelli, but the feeling that Max was the ultimate trump card never went away.
This past summer, it looked like the stars might finally align: Mercedes delayed contracts, the driver market got jittery, and rumors exploded. In the end, though, everything in Formula 1 stayed the same — at least on paper.
So Where Does Mercedes Come In?
Verstappen and Mercedes are indeed joining forces — just in GT3 racing. The Verstappen Racing team will compete in the 2026 GT World Challenge Europe season with the Mercedes-AMG GT3. This is no longer speculation; it's officially confirmed.
Chris Laleham remains the full-season driver, joined by Daniel Juncadella and Jules Gounon — the current AMG Performance works driver. Max himself will also get behind the wheel for selected rounds, though the exact schedule is being kept under wraps for now.
A Move with Long-Term Vision
This fits perfectly into Verstappen's broader strategy. He's been building his own racing ecosystem for years — a team he can step into after Formula 1 without losing the competitive edge. GT3 is the ideal platform: high-level racing, strong manufacturer involvement, and far less political drama.
There's another layer too. Getting closer to Mercedes, even outside F1, carries symbolic weight — and perhaps a touch of provocation. The timing of the announcement over the holidays wasn't accidental either; it let emotions settle while fans finished their holiday meals.
Could this ever become a prelude to an F1 move? No one knows for sure. But the very fact of a Verstappen-Mercedes partnership — even in GT3 — is making big waves. And it definitely didn't happen by chance.