Max Verstappen 'is not ready to commit to Mercedes because of one major concern' - with his Red Bull future uncertain amid Christian Horner saga

The Formula One season has just begun and although there are still 17 races left till next year.

There have already been major changes made to the paddock for the 2025 season with the departure of Carlos Sainz from Ferrari to make way for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton.

As well as Red Bull's chief technical officer Adrian Newey announcing he would be departing from the team in the wake of the Christian Horner scandal.

Although Horner was cleared by an internal investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, Newey still decided to walk away from the Red Bull set-up.  

The shift and movement along the grid seems to be far from over as Mercedes are still trying to lure champion Max Verstappen to join them, however the Dutch driver is reluctant to make the jump as he has concerns over Mercedes' car.

Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2026 and although he is still dominating the field with Red Bull, the three-time champion is doubting his future with Red Bull amidst the fallout from the Horner allegations.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has made it clear he is interested in recruiting the talented driver to take him away from the turmoil he has experienced at Red Bull this year. 

However although Wolff's offer may be tempting from a financial and PR aspect, the Austrian may struggle to convince the competitive Dutch man that he can produce a car he can win his fourth drivers championship. 

According to Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes can't produce a car that the 26-year-old 'would want to sit in', which is a major factor for a driver who is eager to win more driver championships. 

Although Mercedes dominated the late 10's, the Silver Arrows have struggled to produce a car to rival the front runners since 2021.

Wolff's men have been way off the pace set by Red Bull in recent years and currently sit fourth in the constructors' championship, behind Ferrari and McLaren. 

Following the shock announcement that long time Mercedes poster boy Lewis Hamilton would be leaving the team to join Ferrari in 2025, the Brackley based team only have one driver contracted for next season. 

Wolff will be hoping he can find a replacement for Hamilton to team up alongside George Russell.

However the Austrian will be hesitant to make an hasty decisions if it is a possibility that Verstappen could be poached from Red Bull.

Speaking to the media after the Miami Grand Prix about the possibility of signing Verstappen next year Wolff said 'There's always plenty of meetings. I can't really say about the second driver. I think we've talked about the possibilities. I want to be fair to these guys and not make it look like we are playing chess with humans, because we are not doing that.

'I think we want to take our time, see where Max's thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers. Carlos [Sainz] was very strong in Miami again and that's why we are a little bit on an observation mode at the moment'. He said after the Miami race.

'As I said before, if I was him, I wouldn't leave, at least for 2025. But it's all in his… he's the leading the driver, he's the top guy at the moment and that's why it's for him to take those decisions. There may not be any decisions to take, maybe everything continues like it is, but that is then also guidance for us.'