“Goodbye George Russell?”: Fans react as latest report suggests Max Verstappen’s Mercedes move in the making

F1 fans were left reeling when it was recently reported that Max Verstappen might make a much-talked-about move to Mercedes in the 2026 season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been publicly courting the three-time world champion to join the German team and replace Lewis Hamilton for 2025. But the Dutch driver has stayed put with the Austrian team.

However, F1-insider.com recently suggested that the 26-year-old might be on his way to the Brackley-based team as there would be certain performance clauses in Verstappen's Red Bull contract that might enable him to leave the team.

It was also reported that Verstappen and his team will closely monitor the performances of both Red Bull and Mercedes next year to decide on his 2026 seat.

F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to the latest reports of the Dutch driver moving to Mercedes on X (formerly Twitter).

One fan wondered if the move could mean the exit of George Russell from the team, saying:

"Goodbye, George?"

Another fan wrote about the source of the information:

“Reliable” source. lol"

"Source: Trust me, bro," wrote a fan.

"Literally no need, kimi is there for the future, and russell does not deserve to be dropped," suggested another fan.

"George should be a very worried man," said another fan.

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Former F1 team boss expresses his views on Max Verstappen being linked to Mercedes

Former F1 team boss Eddie Jordan stated that he wouldn't be surprised if Max Verstappen were to join Mercedes for the 2026 season as he believed that Red Bull's internal battles, along with the departures of key members of the team, could be cause for worry for the 26-year-old.

Speaking on his Formula for Success podcast, Jordan said (via PlanetF1):

“The turmoil at Red Bull, the departures of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley cannot please Max and his father [Jos]. In addition, Mercedes has turned the corner and is getting stronger and stronger. I would therefore be anything but surprised if Max switches to Mercedes in 2026.”

He further spoke about a meeting involving the Mercedes bosses at the 2024 Monaco GP and added:

“In Monaco, there was a meeting between Toto, Jim Ratcliffe of INEOS, and Ola Källenius who is the executive of Mercedes, and together they put together a fighting fund to cover off the possibility of a salary requirement to cover Max. And Max was aware of it. So, we shouldn’t be surprised to see Max in a Mercedes car in the next years.”

Verstappen has a contract with the Red Bull F1 team until the end of the 2028 season and recently claimed that the Austrian team was like his 'second family' where he could express himself freely.

He is currently leading the drivers' standing by 76 points from Lando Norris after the halfway point of the season, with 10 races and three sprints left in 2024.