F1, McLaren owner: ‘Verstappen will join Mercedes in 2026’

Rome, 20 Mar. (LaPresse) – ‘I think that at the end of this season Verstappen will leave Red Bull and I think he will go to Mercedes, if I had to bet I would bet on Mercedes, obviously there have also been negotiations with Aston Martin now that Newey has joined that team, but it takes time to build a winning culture’. Thus McLaren owner Zak Brown in an interview with the ‘Telegraph’. ‘Mercedes has that culture and it is no mystery that Verstappen is a target of Toto Wolff. Plus there is great confidence in the paddock that the Mercedes 2026 power unit will be very competitive. Russell's contract expires in 2025 while Antonelli has a series of one-year contracts,’ added the McLaren boss who therefore believes the world champion will seek a new challenge