Controversy’s Impact on Max Verstappen’s Potential Mercedes Move in 2026

The 2024 Formula 1 season concluded with Lando Norris’ victory in Abu Dhabi, which secured McLaren’s first constructors’ championship in 26 years. Ferrari drivers Carlos Sainz and Charles Leclerc finished in second and third positions, respectively, while Lewis Hamilton narrowly edged out his Mercedes team-mate George Russell for fourth place in his final race for the team. BBC F1 correspondent Andrew Benson addresses inquiries following the season finale in Abu Dhabi. Tom asks: “Has the recent controversy diminished the likelihood of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes in 2026?” This question pertains to the disagreement that arose between Verstappen and George Russell concerning their interactions in the stewards’ room during the Qatar Grand Prix. The response provided is no. Verstappen’s career path after the 2025 season remains largely undecided. While he is under contract with Red Bull through 2028, mechanisms exist for him to terminate this agreement should he choose. He is presented with multiple potential avenues. Mercedes stands out as a clear possibility; Toto Wolff would promptly secure Verstappen’s services if the chance arose, irrespective of whether he would partner Russell or Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who is set to replace Lewis Hamilton next year. However, given Verstappen’s stature, he would be a sought-after driver across the sport. For instance, at Ferrari, an opportunity could arise if Hamilton’s performance there is not successful. At Aston Martin, Fernando Alonso’s contract extends until the close of 2026, but Verstappen might consider delaying his move until 2027 to potentially reunite with Honda and Adrian Newey, provided the car performs strongly that year. He is not under any immediate pressure. He intends to proceed deliberately, observe the progression of 2025, and then make his determination. Lohit inquires: “Between Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, who has demonstrated superior performance over their three seasons together?” To some extent, the response relies on fundamental qualifying and race statistics, though subtleties exist. In qualifying, their performances were comparable during their initial two seasons together in 2022 and 2023. In 2022, Hamilton held a slight advantage, averaging 0.05 seconds faster, while in 2023, Russell was quicker by an average of 0.004 seconds across the season. This trend shifted this year, with Hamilton experiencing significant difficulties in qualifying. In 2024, Russell has been 0.17 seconds faster, and Hamilton has only out-qualified him on five occasions based on pure performance. The primary inquiry is: What is the reason for this change? Even Hamilton himself appears uncertain. However, the explanation seems to be that he lacks comfort with the vehicle, has encountered greater difficulty than Russell in adjusting to its specific demands, and occasionally pushes it too hard. In the championship standings, Russell has concluded ahead in two out of three seasons: 2022 and 2024. The cumulative points total stood at 697-695, favoring Hamilton. Herein lies the subtlety. In 2022, most of Mercedes’ exceptional performances were attributed to Hamilton, with Russell’s victory in Brazil being an exception – notable examples include Spain, Silverstone, Hungary, the Netherlands, and the US Grand Prix. Furthermore, in 2023, Hamilton was distinctly the superior driver overall. Even in the current year, despite Russell finishing 22 points ahead, Hamilton delivered significantly more impressive performances in certain races. For instance, in Las Vegas and Abu Dhabi, he commenced from positions considerably behind Russell but narrowed the gap, either concluding directly behind him or even passing him. Naturally, Russell also demonstrated more impressive performances than Hamilton in other races. The key takeaway is that, while Hamilton has faced some critique this year, it is important to acknowledge Russell’s exceptional talent. Therefore, being outperformed by him is not at all discreditable, even for a seven-time champion. In Las Vegas, I conducted an interview with Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ trackside engineering director, for an article about the conclusion of Hamilton’s tenure at Mercedes. I inquired about Russell’s advantage this year, and Shovlin began his response by stating: “George is a particularly strong driver and he is particularly strong on a Saturday.” Hamilton’s pre-season knowledge of his impending departure to Ferrari at the end of the season must also be regarded as a contributing element. As Hamilton expressed on Sunday in Abu Dhabi: “It has been probably the longest year of my life, knowing from the beginning I was leaving.” Ed asks: “Given their current status as elder statesmen in the sport, do Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton maintain a cordial relationship following the challenging period of their McLaren partnership?” During their time at McLaren in 2007, as Alonso has frequently reiterated, their difficulties stemmed less from their personal interactions and more from the management and its conduct throughout the season. However, to my knowledge, the dynamic between Alonso and Hamilton has remained largely consistent in recent years. The situation is quite uncomplicated. They are unlikely to ever become close friends. An apparent clash of personalities exists, and they hold distinct worldviews, even if, in certain respects, they might be more alike than either would prefer to acknowledge. As Hamilton stated in a 2022 interview with BBC Sport and other media outlets: “We’re much, much different people and with much different values.” Nevertheless, they possess significant mutual respect for each other’s capabilities and, it appears, interact adequately on a superficial basis when in close proximity. Nonetheless, as observed in recent years, their fundamental personality conflict occasionally becomes evident, particularly during on-track incidents. Tracey asks: “Did McLaren make a mistake by not designating Lando Norris as their primary driver sooner, a decision that might have led to them securing both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships?” It is highly questionable whether prioritizing Norris earlier would have resulted in him becoming world champion, primarily because there were infrequent instances where McLaren could have done so, as he typically outpaced Oscar Piastri. The most apparent examples are the races in Hungary and Monza. In Budapest, Norris started from pole position, but Piastri seized the lead at the initial corner. Subsequently, a question arose regarding whether Norris should have allowed Piastri to regain his position after the team’s strategy placed Norris ahead. It would have been unduly severe on Piastri to maintain Norris’s lead, as Piastri had merited the victory. However, if such a decision had been made, it would have yielded an additional seven points for Norris. At Monza, a compelling case can be made that McLaren ought not to have permitted their drivers to race each other on the opening lap. This is because Piastri’s impressive overtake on Norris at Turn Four ultimately allowed Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari to slip past Norris into second place, a position from which Leclerc proceeded to win. It is unknowable whether McLaren would have secured the victory had this not occurred, as Ferrari might still have outmaneu