Former Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner believes Mercedes no longer needs to pursue Max Verstappen, citing Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s breakout performances in 2026.
Verstappen has long faced speculation surrounding a potential switch to Brackley.
However, Red Bull has struggled to match Mercedes’ dominant pace this season, leaving the four-time World Champion sixth in the Drivers’ Standings with 109 points, which is 110 points behind championship leader Antonelli.
Speaking on the Up To Speed podcast, Steiner explained why Mercedes boss Toto Wolff can afford to pass on the Dutchman.
“If Max goes somewhere, obviously he wants to go somewhere which is better than Red Bull, and there are not many teams around better than Red Bull,” Steiner said.
“Maybe Red Bull at the moment is not where they want to be, at the forefront like they were a few years ago, but it’s still one of the big four good teams.”
“The seats are filled at Ferrari,” Steiner added.
“At Mercedes, I think they’ve now found the next Max Verstappen. So, maybe they don’t need the real Max Verstappen at the moment.”
While paddock rumours have linked Verstappen with McLaren, Steiner questioned whether moving to the Woking-based outfit makes sense given Red Bull’s works engine setup.
“McLaren until a few races ago, it’s like, are they really better than Red Bull? Because I think Red Bull has got one advantage. They’ve got their own engine now, which is an advantage,” Steiner continued.
“If you have got the works engine, I mean McLaren is doing very well having a Mercedes customer engine.
“But in the end, [McLaren] would be the only possibility [for Verstappen], and I don’t know if that possibility even exists.”
Steiner noted that any move hinges on whether McLaren presents a clear step forward, leaving Verstappen with limited options to escape Red Bull’s current slump.
“There was the rumour that maybe Oscar could go to Red Bull, but I think that is the biggest thing for Max: if Max goes somewhere, he wants to go to the best team around.”
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