Piquet: Verstappen would stay quiet if driving Mercedes

Nelson Piquet Jr. suggests Max Verstappen's vocal criticism of Formula 1's new regulations is directly tied to his current competitive position with Red Bull, arguing the reigning champion would be silent if he were in a top Mercedes. The comments come alongside analysis from former team principal Guenther Steiner on the significant hurdles blocking a potential Verstappen-George Russell driver swap.

Why it matters:

Verstappen has been the most prominent critic of F1's 2026 aerodynamic and power unit rules, labeling them "pretty terrible" and predicting a dangerous driving experience. Piquet's claim frames this criticism not as a pure sporting concern, but as a reaction to a potential threat to Red Bull's dominance. It touches on the perennial debate about how much a driver's public stance is influenced by their car's performance. Furthermore, Steiner's insight into the practical barriers for a Verstappen-Mercedes move highlights the complex contractual and sporting realities that underpin driver market speculation.

The details:

• Piquet, a former F1 driver and Verstappen's brother-in-law, stated on the Pelas Pistas podcast that Verstappen's complaints are "natural" given his situation, but his tone would change entirely with superior machinery.
• He emphasized Verstappen's winning mentality, noting the driver would always prefer a season dominated early over a last-race title fight, implying his regulatory criticism stems from a desire to maintain that advantage.
• Separately, Guenther Steiner pointed out two major obstacles for Mercedes if they wanted to replace George Russell with Verstappen.
  • First, Verstappen's lucrative, long-term Red Bull contract would be extremely expensive for any team to buy out.
  • Second, Russell's own contract is believed to contain strong performance-based protections, potentially making it very difficult or costly to drop him, especially if he were to win a championship.

Between the lines:

Piquet's remarks reinforce the image of Verstappen as a supremely competitive figure whose public narrative is intrinsically linked to his on-track fortunes. The underlying suggestion is that his warnings about the 2026 rules may also serve to pressure the FIA into modifications that could benefit Red Bull's development path. Steiner's pragmatic assessment tempers the ever-present driver market frenzy, reminding that superstar moves are dictated as much by cold, hard contracts and team legacy considerations—like investing in a homegrown talent like Russell—as by sheer driver desire. Together, these perspectives show that in F1, technical opinions and driver movements are rarely just about speed; they are deeply entwined with power, position, and politics.