Max Verstappen 'wants to leave Red Bull in 2026' and he already knows his ideal move

Max Verstappen is 'keen' to leave Red Bull in 2026 and already knows who he would like to move to.

The Dutchman has been the talk of the town in F1 so far in 2025, with the Daily Mail reporting Aston Martin were targeting a £1 billion deal for Verstappen.

The report claimed that Aston Martin had already told key sponsors the world champion would be joining the team.

Verstappen's representatives quickly responded to the claims and told GP Blog, "That's nice," when quizzed on the £1bn offer.

Verstappen's current Red Bull contract runs out at the end of 2028, having been originally signed in 2022 after his first Drivers' Championship win.

However, in Verstappen's previous deal with Red Bull, there were contract clauses in place that would allow him to exit his contract early, and that is expected to have remained the case in his current contract.

Despite Aston Martin now having former Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, as well as Honda engines for 2026, Verstappen has snubbed the Silverstone-based team and has another destination in mind.

According to Motorsport Italia Verstappen 'is keen to drive a car equipped with a Mercedes engine' for the new regulations in 2026.

The report claims the 27-year-old is 'convinced' the Mercedes power unit will be the one to beat in 2026, with Red Bull moving from Honda to Ford engines for the new regulations.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has already had his say on the possibility of signing Verstappen, telling the media he was his 'number one pick' to replace Lewis Hamilton for 2025.

Mercedes are set to supply power units for McLaren, Williams, and Alpine as well as their own team next year, giving Verstappen multiple options.

Max Verstappen facing the media at the 2024 Singapore Grand Prix- Getty

While McLaren and Mercedes may seem like the smartest options, 2026 not only brings engine changes but also completely redesigned aero systems.

This brings huge possibilities for the F1 pecking order to be significantly reshuffled in 2026, similar to 2022 when Mercedes went from a dominant force to podium hopefuls.

Verstappen has won four consecutive F1 titles since 2021 but looks to face a tough task to make it five in 2025, with Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc both major contenders according to the bookies.