Advice to Max Verstappen: “Go for Mercedes, Ford will not deliver!” – F1journaal.be

According to former F1 driver Robert Doornbos, Max Verstappen should think carefully about his future. From 2026, Red Bull will partner with Ford in engine terms instead of Honda. Doornbos believes that Verstappen would be better off choosing Mercedes.

Mercedes motorsport boss Toto Wolff has already hinted that he would like to see Max Verstappen drive one of the Mercedes F1 cars. Verstappen is currently under contract with Red Bull until 2028, but Mercedes is looking for a replacement driver for Lewis Hamilton before 2025.

Despite rumors that Toto Wolff would try to convince Max Verstappen to switch to Mercedes, Verstappen appears to be holding on to his future at Red Bull, but according to his partner Robert Doornbos, Verstappen would think twice about it.

According to Doornbos, Red Bull will no longer be the best team to compete in from 2026, when major changes to the technical regulations come into force. From then on, Red Bull will use Ford engines and, according to Doornbos, that is not the right choice for Verstappen.

“Ford won’t do it. It seems now, they don’t have enough power,” said Doornbos on ‘Ziggo Sport’. Doornbos believes that Mercedes is the best option for Verstappen.

“As a manufacturer, they have an advantage over an individual. The team may have a limited budget, but Daimler can pump millions into the models and engines they want. You want to have a factory team. You can think: things will be good with Ford. No, you don’t know that.”

At Mercedes, Toto Wolff is no doubt hoping that the chaos at Red Bull due to the ‘Christian Horner case’ will continue and negatively affect results. That is the best chance for Mercedes to lure Verstappen because the three-time world champion’s contract has various exit clauses.