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Jos Verstappen irritated by 'stirrer' Zak Brown
Jos Verstappen has responded to Zak Brown' s statements that Max Verstappen would drive at Mercedes in 2026. According to Max's father, Brown is just stirring things up.
''He's only trying to steer shit'', Jos Verstappen responded under an Instagram post with Zak Brown's quotes, which prompted 38 responses to the former F1 driver's comment. However, Verstappen sr., did not reply further.
The quotes in the post to which Jos responded came from Zak Brown's interview with The Telegraph, where the American stated that Max Verstappen is likely to make the switch to Mercedes in 2026. Brown even went as far as to say that talks with Aston Martin had taken place, but at Mercedes there is a whole team already in place, whereas at Aston Martin there is only one man: Adrian Newey, and the team is barely taking shape.
Why would Verstappen go to Mercedes?
"If I was betting, I’d bet on Merc, (Mercedes). In the last 10 years, they’ve won the championship seven or eight times. Last year they won five races. They have stability. We know Toto likes him. And I think we all feel HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains] is best equipped on the power unit side heading into the new engine regulations next year. Plus, George is out of contract at the end of this season and Kimi will be on a series of one-years."
Verstappen's future has been a topic of conversation for some time. Since the turmoil within Red Bull Racing at the start of 2024, it has been clear that the Dutchman's camp is not 100% certain to sit out the entire contract with the Austrian team through 2028. On top of that, Verstappen's contract would include performance clauses that would free him to take a seat elsewhere.
Max Verstappen even admitted to talking to Toto Wolff at the end of last season, but a deal with Mercedes did not materialise at the time. With new regulations for engines and cars, 2026 may be the right time to switch, though, and at Mercedes the contracts that bind George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli to the team are running out at the end of the current year.
This article was written in collaboration with Tim Kraaij.
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