Does Verstappen know what to expect from Mercedes in 2026?

Verstappen is said to have performance-based exit clauses in his Red Bull contract, which runs until the end of the 2028 Formula 1 season.

But there have been a lot happening at the Milton Keynes outfit, starting with the exit of key personnel—Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley, to name a couple.

Then there is the team's undriveable RB21, their error-ridden execution, and finally the recent firing of Christian Horner, which has all increased the chances of Verstappen making a bolt for freedom with Mercedes and Aston Martin as options.

The more interesting situation is at Mercedes, as Toto Wolff is still holding off on giving George Russell a new deal, as he is clearly waiting on Verstappen to make a decision.

And while the smart thing for the Dutchman to do is to wait for 2026 and see how the F1 landscape pans out under the new regulations before deciding on his future team.

But former F1 driver Johnny Herbert believes Verstappen might already know what to expect next year. He said: "Max will be very aware of what's going on within Red Bull's development programme for next year, with the new engine, the new power unit they're making themselves, and all the different elements to that, and then obviously to the car at the same time.

"Rumours are that it's not been going very well," Herbert pointed out. "But the rumours have been that Mercedes are going very well.

"Max would want to put himself in a position where he has the best chance he can to. He's frustrated where he is because they're not able to give him what he wants.

"There have been a lot of people who have left. There are still things going on behind the scenes," the 61-year-old Briton maintained.

Mercedes, ahead of the 2014 turbo-hybrid era, managed to lure Lewis Hamilton from McLaren, with the team's non-executive chairman at the time, the late Nikki Lauda, playing a key role in that.

Herbert reckons something similar is going on now between Wolff and Verstappen; he added: "The discussions I would have thought that Toto and Max have had are probably very, very similar to what Nikki Lauda had with Lewis when he was at McLaren and he got taken out of McLaren and brought over to Mercedes.

"Because I think Mercedes would have shown Max what they've got, what they believe they're going to have for next year which will probably be the car to beat.

"Now that would be for me, the little gold nugget that you would dangle in front of Max. And he would be wowed by what he's being told.

"Toto says it's all unlikely but that is classic Toto. There is more to it for sure," Herbert insisted in conclusion.