Does Verstappen really have alternatives?
In Hungary, Lando Norris and McLaren achieved the first victory of 2026, breaking the Mercedes-Ferrari alternation. Among the top teams, only Red Bull is missing, but Max Verstappen has never come close to winning a GP in 2026.
Red Bull’s performance is the big question mark regarding the Dutchman’s future, but according to Juan Pablo Montoya, the four-time world champion is not really thinking of leaving the Milton Keynes team.
“It’s always a matter of money – Montoya told Betpack – Is Verstappen talking to other teams to drive up the price or does he really want to leave? I think in the end what matters is being the undisputed number one inside the garage. I wouldn’t go to Mercedes to try to become the king of a jungle where Antonelli is Toto Wolff’s favorite and at the same time I wouldn’t go to McLaren where the relationship between Zak Brown and Lando Norris is very solid. Wolff wouldn’t sacrifice Antonelli for Verstappen, he would be very happy to have both and would be able to manage them, but I don’t know if Verstappen is willing to put himself on the line to that extent.”
“Remember when in 2022 Perez was very aggressive even in statements at the start of the season? – Montoya added – then the updates arrived, Max was flying and Checo was getting worse race after race. Honestly, I don’t think there will actually be a place for Max at Mercedes in the coming seasons, the only factor that could come into play is a possible streak of McLaren wins after the summer break. At that point, Verstappen could really think about trying to play the McLaren card.”
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