Steiner says Mercedes has found 'the next Verstappen' in Antonelli — ending the chase

Guenther Steiner has declared that Mercedes has effectively moved on from any pursuit of Max Verstappen, telling the Up To Speed podcast that Kimi Antonelli is already “the next Max Verstappen” — making the real one surplus to the Brackley team’s requirements.

The former Haas team principal made the remarks alongside ex-driver David Coulthard and content creator Jolie Sharpe, as speculation over Verstappen’s future at Red Bull continues to swirl heading into the 2026 regulations cycle. Red Bull’s recent struggles to match Mercedes’ pace have fuelled paddock rumours linking the four-time world champion to both Mercedes and McLaren.

“At Mercedes, I think they’ve now found the next Max Verstappen,” Steiner said. “So, maybe they don’t need the real Max Verstappen at the moment.”

Steiner also cast doubt on whether McLaren represents the kind of upgrade Verstappen would demand before leaving Red Bull. He noted that the Hungarian Grand Prix had shifted perceptions — McLaren’s performance there made a move to Woking look less like a lateral step than it might have done days earlier — but he still questioned the logic of the switch.

“If Max goes somewhere, obviously he wants to go somewhere which is better than Red Bull, and there are not many teams around better than Red Bull,” Steiner said. “Maybe Red Bull at the moment is not where they want to be, at the forefront like they were a few years ago, but it’s still one of the big four good teams.”

Steiner pointed to Red Bull’s status as a works power unit operation as a structural advantage over McLaren, which runs as a Mercedes customer team. “If you have got the works engine, I mean McLaren is doing very well having a Mercedes customer engine. But in the end, [McLaren] would be the only possibility [for Verstappen], and I don’t know if that possibility even exists.”

He also referenced reports that Oscar Piastri could move to Red Bull as part of any deal involving Verstappen, though he stopped short of treating that scenario as likely. Ferrari, he noted, is not a realistic option given its seats are already committed.

For now, Steiner’s assessment leaves Verstappen in an increasingly narrow market — with the team most obviously capable of satisfying his ambitions apparently no longer in need of him.