Mercedes won’t be able to land Max Verstappen this season, but Team Principal Toto Wolff has seemingly devised a plan to land the Red Bull driver in the years to come.
As it stands, Mercedes still have an uncertain driver lineup for next season, with both George Russell and Kimi Antonelli in the final year of their deals.
The pair are two of six F1 drivers out of contract in 2025, as conversation continues to surround their options for next season.
There were some suggestions that Mercedes wanted Max Verstappen, who had an exit clause in his Red Bull deal that would allow him to move during the summer break if he was outside of the top three in the drivers’ championship.
Following his performance in the Belgian Grand Prix, though, that exit clause won’t be possible, so Toto Wolff has to look at his other options.
With Verstappen still a target for the future, one decision the Team Principal has made looks to be with that in mind.
Toto Wolff set to offer short-term deals to Mercedes drivers in Max Verstappen signing attempt
While Verstappen seems out of reach this summer, and perhaps even next season, Mercedes still seem to have an eye on the current world champion for the years beyond.
That may be the plan, but it still puts them in a difficult position for the near future, as decisions must be made over their current drivers.
Recent reports have suggested that George Russell is close to agreeing a new contract with the team, which will keep him tied down.
As for Kimi Antonelli, some recent struggles in the car have cast doubt over his future, with question marks remaining there.
However, according to Jon Noble from The Race, Wolff could be set to hand out short-term deals to leave a seat free for Verstappen in the future.
In his latest YouTube video, he said: “With Verstappen’s future settled, the way is clear for Mercedes to get on and lock both their drivers down for 2026 at least, with things expected to get signed off over the summer break.
“While it’s clear that a Russell and Antonelli pairing will continue into 2026, what is less clear is how long a contract both drivers will get.
“Mercedes boss Wolff is almost certainly going to want to keep his options open for 2027, knowing that Verstappen could be on the market for then, which may make him reluctant to tie both his drivers into long-term deals.
“That means potentially keeping some flexibility with Antonelli, to have him on a year-by-year contract, plus perhaps giving Russell a one [year] plus one [year] deal.”
It would be quite the plan from Wolff and Mercedes to leave their options open, should Verstappen be available for 2027 and beyond.
However, there is plenty more work that is needed before the Dutchman may consider making such a move anyway.
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Mercedes will need to prove themselves in 2026 to lure Max Verstappen under new regulations
While there is seemingly a plan in place for Mercedes to try and lure Verstappen away from Red Bull in the future, there is one problem that arises from not completing the deal for next season.
There are some key F1 regulation changes coming up over the next year, which will drastically change how the cars will perform.
In a real shake-up to the whole grid, there is no certainty as to which team will come out on top with their development in the next few months.
For Verstappen and many other top drivers, there may be a reason to sit back and wait to see which team can take advantage of the changes to be the leader.
That may then further influence the driver market, allowing the top options to pick the teams who need strengthening.
For Mercedes, it’s clear that they will need a competitive package once again to get someone like Verstappen on side, something they need to prove they have over the 2026 season.