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Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya shared an interesting prediction where he saw Max Verstappen and George Russell team up at Mercedes, while Kimi Antonelli took the axe.
In a recent interview with AS, the seven-time F1 race winner stated that Toto Wolff would not lose the chance to sign Verstappen and put him alongside Russell despite their differences.
Montoya also spoke about the recent Verstappen and Red Bull situation and his potential team in the future. Speaking about the situation, if the Dutchman leaves just in case, Montoya said:
“I think what would happen would be that Toto would sit Russell down and say, ‘I want you to be with me, but we’re going to sign Max. If you’re comfortable racing with Max and working together with Max, the seat is yours. If you’re not comfortable, the door is open."
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Following this, he also stated that Wolff, who has been a long-time admirer of the four-time world champion, will be ready to let Antonelli go despite the bright start, just to make way for the Red Bull driver. However, he would keep Russell in the team because of his championship-winning prowess.
The British driver was hugely consistent in 2025 and picked up three podiums in five races. As for Antonelli, the rookie also shone bright, something no team can ignore. On the other hand, Verstappen is also chasing his fifth straight F1 trophy, but his journey has been far from smooth.
Max Verstappen, who is defending his title this season, is facing immense issues with the Red Bull RB21. From braking issues to balance problems, the Red Bull challengers look far from easy to handle. As a result, the Dutch driver's future on the team looks bleak.
Verstappen is tied to Red Bull till the end of 2028, but there are performance clauses that are attached to it. If Verstappen cannot compete for the championship or stay within the top 3, he can trigger his exit clause and leave the Milton Keynes-based team next season.
George Russell nonchalant about Mercedes signing Max Verstappen
George Russell stated that he is not concerned if Mercedes wants to sign Max Verstappen soon. The #63 stated that he is content and confident with his performance, and he is currently delivering at par with everyone on the grid.
“So that doesn’t concern me one bit because the performance is my currency and right now I think I am performing as good as anyone on this grid,” he told the Press Association.
While there are talks about Mercedes trying to sign Max Verstappen in the near future, the possibility of this, with George Russell in the team, is bleak. As both Verstappen and Russell are currently at their peak and have a championship-winning mentality, one can expect them to have a fallout in the team and make it unstable.
