Former Ferrari engineer advises Mercedes: 'No doubt' in replacing Verstappen for Russell

Once again, the rumour mill continues to spin surrounding the Dutchman and Mercedes, with Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff charmed by Verstappen for years.

For the 2025 season, Wolff ultimately chose young talent Kimi Antonelli as the successor to Lewis Hamilton after the seven-time world champion made the major switch to Ferrari. However, Smedley believes that Mercedes should strike immediately if Verstappen becomes available, even if that means George Russell has to make way, whose contract runs out at the German team at the end of the campaign.

Should Verstappen wish to move to Mercedes, he might end up being reunited with Sergio Pérez on the same team again. The Mexican is also being linked with a switch to the German team for a role as a reserve driver.

"If I were in a position to make this decision, would I want Max Verstappen in my car over anybody else on the grid right now? Yeah, 100% I would. No doubt,” Smedley stated while appearing on the F1 Nation Podcast.

"He is a four-time world champion who is a guy who is one of those very, very special drivers, and there are very few of them who can drive over and above what the car can actually deliver," the former Williams engineer continued.

It's a move that would have a lot of repercussions up and down the grid, but certain aspects should have Mercedes intrigued, Smedley points out.

"He cares about one thing, and that's racing", continued the former engineer of Felipe Massa.

"If you can get someone with that motivation, with that focus, and with that talent on your team, you would want that person 100%. Having talent like Max Verstappen ensures that a team gives its all 101% every day", he concluded.