Verstappen can leave Red Bull in 2027 if he wants to. This is because of a clause in his contract that lets him leave if he is not in the top two in the championship.

Wolff said Mercedes is set for 2027 with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. However, he also said he would not mind having Max and Kimi on the team together.

Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert thinks Wolff should sign Verstappen if he can. Herbert said George Russell has not done as well as expected, so there might be a spot for Verstappen.

Herbert said saying no to Max would be crazy because it would make Mercedes stronger. He knows it might cause some problems, but Wolff has dealt with similar situations before.

Herbert thinks Max is more mature now and might see things differently. He believes Max would love the challenge of racing with Kimi, and Wolff might like that too.

Right now, it seems like Verstappen will stay with Red Bull. Mercedes and Ferrari are full, and the strongest links are with McLaren, even though they are happy with their current drivers.

Herbert can see Verstappen moving to McLaren because his old engineer is going there. He thinks Max might want to keep working with his engineer, which could make him choose McLaren.