Max Verstappen will be left “wowed” by the “little gold nugget” of having the car to beat at Mercedes in the F1 2026 season. That is the claim of Johnny Herbert, who believes Mercedes’ plans for F1’s new regulations will convince Verstappen to leave Red Bull.

That said, there is no guarantee that Verstappen will stay, even after Horner, who was a thorn in the side of his entourage, was dismissed. According to De Telegraaf, the 51-year-old’s exit has not boosted Red Bull ’s chances of retaining their star driver.