What team will Max Verstappen go to?

[Chuckjr]

Waiting till 2026 to sign for 2027 may be detrimental because if Merc really does pull another 2014, one of the Merc boys will win the championship. I don't see Merc pulling a similar Ferrari move to this year--booting one out for another that will go there to win (Max), all while the Merc proven champion is already seated. Merc would stay with their line up like they did in 2014, and not make needless problem for themselves. Max is out of luck w/ Merc if he waits. Even the fastest driver cannot beat another car that is miles ahead. We have been there done that.

[Dee]

Waiting till 2026 to sign for 2027 may be detrimental because if Merc really does pull another 2014, one of the Merc boys will win the championship. I don't see Merc pulling a similar Ferrari move to this year--booting one out for another that will go there to win (Max), all while the Merc proven champion is already seated. Merc would stay with their line up like they did in 2014, and not make needless problem for themselves. Max is out of luck w/ Merc if he waits. Even the fastest driver cannot beat another car that is miles ahead. We have been there done that.

Mclaren with Rob Marshall could win it in 2026 with the Merc engine, everywhere Rob has gone, WCC are won.

[Chuckjr]

Look Rob may be the next Adrian (unlikely), but 2014-... proved it doesn't matter. If the PU dominates, aero will take a second seat. Merc in 2014, 15,16...could add all the wings and gizmos they wanted because they could just turn the PU up to compensate whatever aero losses incurred. The car just gets faster and more stable. That will happen again in 2026 if Merc build another monster. No driver will catch them no matter how talented. We have been there done that. Max better choose wisely.

[ringo]

I do not think the PU will be the dominant factor for performance in 2026. Half the power is electric. Electric machines are less nuanced than combustion engines. They're also more direct to control. Any PU that is behind at the start of 2026 on the electrical side, can catch up with just mapping and algorithms for the electrical power deployment and management.
The chassis with the active aero is probably going to be more important and baked in with the new formula.
Saying all this, Max is safe at redbull or he can aim for Mclaren. Mercedes may just be weaker than Mclaren on the Chassis side.

[AR3-GP]

koji watanabe, honda racing’s president:

“but i have to say honestly that i hope that there will be another opportunity for honda to work with max verstappen. i sincerely hope so.”

“max is also very good at communicating with the honda engineers. he talks clearly to them and that has ensured that the engineers have become fans of him and that they are very dedicated.”

[ispano6]

Max will be a dad very soon this month. Maybe during the triple header. I'm sure it definitely is on his mind! Will he miss a race or will they decide to have it on a planned date that suits their schedule? The Verstappen's feel that having a child shouldn't affect Max's speed, but there is that age old saying!