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F1 Today | Verstappen told to take Mercedes ‘opportunity’, Piastri and Russell back Nurburgring F1 return

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F1 Today | Verstappen told to take Mercedes ‘opportunity’, Piastri and Russell back Nurburgring F1 return
From Juan Pablo Montoya urging Max Verstappen to take a “perfect opportunity” at Mercedes, to George Russell and Oscar Piastri both backing a Nurburgring return to the F1 calendar, here are the two main stories from today, April 15.

Verstappen urged to join Mercedes after ‘GP’ exit: ‘It’s the perfect opportunity’

Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya has said Max Verstappen now has the “perfect opportunity” to join Mercedes after losing race engineer Gianpiero ‘GP’ Lambiase to McLaren and Red Bull’s poor start to 2026.

News that Lambiase will join McLaren in 2028, the latest among recent high-profile departures from Red Bull, including that of motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, has prompted many to discuss Verstappen’s future.

Moreover, GPblog previously received signals that his future with the Austrian outfit is becoming increasingly clear. Continuing at Red Bull Racing appears to be an option that clearly ranks below several other possibilities, this website understands.

However, former Williams driver Montoya has suggested Verstappen should consider joining current championship leaders Mercedes, with team boss Toto Wolff known to admire the Dutchman for years.

Speaking to AS Colombia, Montoya said: “This could well be the perfect opportunity for Verstappen.

“Red Bull is on the slower side. If they stay that way all year, Max will definitely be looking for a way out, for a way to leave as soon as possible.”

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Max Verstappen – Photo: Red Bull Content Pool

Elsewhere, George Russell and Oscar Piastri have both supported the idea of the famous Nürburgring circuit returning to the F1 calendar.

Taking part in a Pirelli tyre test this week, the Mercedes and McLaren drivers both praised the ‘old school’ feel of the Nürburgring, which hasn’t held F1 racing since the 2020 Eifel Grand Prix.

Speaking to Sky Sports at the iconic track, Russell said: “Yeah, I’d love to be back racing here one day.

“And of course, we have no race in Germany at the moment, and with Mercedes, it would probably be nicer to have one back on the calendar.“

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Meanwhile, Piastri, although not quite as enthusiastic as Russell on a potential slot for the Nurburgring on the calendar, agreed it would be a welcome addition.

Piastri said: “There’s a lot of elevation change, obviously the history of this place is very cool as well. And again, it’s a very old school track, which I think as drivers, we always enjoy that part of things.”

“Even if the layout is different from circuit to circuit, the kind of old-school nature of the curbs and the runoffs is always more rewarding when you get things right. So, it would be cool, but we’ll see.“

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