Max Verstappen might be a four-time F1 world champion, but his influence stretches far beyond the sport’s paddock these days. Away from the fast tracks of F1, Verstappen has quietly been building his own competitive world through Verstappen.com Racing, and that world just took a surprising turn that has everyone on their toes.
Max Verstappen’s World Outside F1
The announcement yesterday was that Verstappen’s racing team will switch to Mercedes machinery as part of a multi-year agreement starting in 2026. They will run the Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT World Challenge Europe, operated by 2Seas Motorsport. It sounds very normal in the world of sports business, but nothing is ever normal when the Dutchman is involved.
Verstappen is a four-time world champion and one of the most intense competitors of this generation and came very close to a fifth world title in 2025, missing the crown by only two points to Lando Norris. Despite that loss, his second half of the season was nearly flawless, including six grand prix wins and a run of podiums that proved he is still operating at a superhuman level.
On the other hand, Verstappen.com Racing is something he truly cares about and is a place where he tries new things, supports young talent, and keeps his competitive brain active beyond the F1 calendar.
This is where the Mercedes-AMG decision becomes interesting, as the team will move away from the Aston Martin Vantage GT3, which they used this year. Driver lineups are changing, too, as Chris Lulham returns and will pair with Dani Juncadella for the five Sprint Cup events.
For endurance races, they bring in Jules Gounon, who is a works Mercedes driver and also competes with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, and his presence automatically places the car into the Pro category, showing that this is not some casual middle-of-the-pack effort.
Where Does All This Fit in Verstappen’s Future?
The online reaction has been the most entertaining part of all this, as instead of celebrating a unique motorsport partnership, fans immediately jumped to one conclusion. They believe Mercedes F1 boss, Toto Wolff, is cooking something, and the theory is that this GT switch is secretly the first step towards Verstappen joining Mercedes in F1.
“Mercedes and Max? Should’ve seen that coming,” one fan wrote. Another added, “He’s moving to Mercedes in 2027.” Another fan added, “Toto’s prayers needs to be a bit more specific.” While another fan added, “Toto’s dream is about to become true sooner.”
To make the theory even louder, Verstappen recently even drove a Mercedes-AMG GT3 at Estoril as part of a separate testing program, and for fans, that was enough to turn a small news item into a prediction for the future.
And then there is Nürburgring, which Verstappen has openly said he wants to race in the Nürburgring 24 Hours someday. His win earlier this year at the Nordschleife came in a Ferrari 296 GT3, not even an Aston Martin, and rumor also has it that if he ever does race it, he would prefer a Porsche. That shows how open he is about the GT world, which is why the Mercedes decision does not automatically mean an F1 move.
Right now, it is more likely that Verstappen will not attempt the Nürburgring in 2026 as F1 will undergo major rule changes, with new chassis and new engine regulations, and Red Bull will expect him to be fully focused, especially after losing the 2025 championship by such a tiny margin.
A multi-year GT deal has somehow turned into one of the biggest conversation topics of the offseason, as fans love generating buzz and every new chapter feels like a clue.
