Rival F1 boss predicts Verstappen WILL leave Red Bull this year

Max Verstappen has been tipped to leave Red Bull this winter by one of his main rivals' team boss.

Zak Brown is the CEO of McLaren Racing, the team favorite to win this year's constructors' and drivers' championships in Formula 1 after claiming the former last season.

Now, Brown has made an astonishing claim about Verstappen moving to Mercedes, and has given a date for when the move is likely to happen, in an interview that is sure to wind up Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

Four-time world champion Verstappen has enjoyed plenty of success with Red Bull in the past four seasons, but was plagued by performance issues in the second half of 2024, performance issues that appear to have not gone away in 2025.

Is Verstappen move to Mercedes likely?

It means that for the first time in three seasons, Verstappen does not go into 2025 as the favourite for the title, with 2024 constructors' champions McLaren appearing to have given Norris and Piastri a car far superior to Red Bull's at least for the start of the season.

Verstappen has already admitted that there's a lot of work to be done if he's to challenge for race victories in the early part of the year, and that has only exacerbated rumours of him potentially switching teams.

In the off-season, Aston Martin were understood to be the favourites to secure the services of the Dutchman, following the arrival of design genius Adrian Newey, but the team have denied any links to Verstappen for 2026 or beyond.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff made Verstappen his 'number one' target in 2024 when Lewis Hamilton announced his departure, but in the end opted to sign youngster Kimi Antonelli.

Now, with both of Mercedes' drivers currently not contracted beyond the end of 2025, Brown has suggested that Verstappen to Mercedes is likely to happen before the start of the 2026 season.

"Oh I think he’ll leave at the end of this year," Brown told The Telegraph. "Most likely to Mercedes.

"There’s been talk of Aston Martin, too, with Adrian Newey joining. But as great as Adrian is - and he’s the greatest ever - you need a whole team around you. You need the culture, that takes time.

"If I was betting, I’d bet on Merc. In the last 10 years, they’ve won the championship seven or eight times, last year they won five races. They have stability. We know Toto likes him, and I think we all feel HPP [Mercedes High Performance Powertrains] is best-equipped on the power unit side heading into the new engine regulations next year.

"Plus, George [Russell] is out of contract at the end of this season and Kimi will be on a series of one-years."

F1 HEADLINES: Daniel Ricciardo gets bizarre call up, FIA make official announcement ahead of Chinese Grand Prix