Max Verstappen has been with Red Bull since his second year in Formula 1 when he was spotted by Dietrich Mateschitz and Helmut Marko.
Toto Wolff (Credits: Autosport), Max Verstappen (Credits: F1), and, Lewis Hamilton (Credits: InsideSport)
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton‘s fabled rivalry from the 2021 Formula 1 Championship is considered to be perfect for the history books in the motorsports world. The two racing talents had stormed upon each other at the season finale in Abu Dhabi where the Dutchman came out victorious by defeating Hamilton to his eighth World title. Since then, the Briton has only seen his results dip further while Max Verstappen recently ended the 2023 season with his third World Championship title.
Given the huge rivalry between Hamilton and Verstappen on the track, it would not surprise anyone to think they are particularly averse to each other’s teams too. Just like one would think Lewis Hamilton does not prefer Red Bull too much, they would also believe Max Verstappen would never agree to move to Mercedes. And now that Hamilton’s shift to Ferrari is confirmed and there is a seat available at the German outfit, Max Verstappen has not completely rejected the idea of him taking it up.
Max Verstappen and Red Bull are a made-in-heaven sort of partnership that has seen the Dutchman get three World Drivers’ Championships and the team get two consecutive World Constructors’ titles. Despite this, Max Verstappen has claimed he is open to changing teams since ‘it does not matter to him’ too much.
That’s [Mercedes is] indeed a very different environment. It’s always important to stay true to yourself and keep speaking your mind. It doesn’t matter to me where that is. If a team really wants me in such a situation, they will also make an effort, and you can probably adapt certain things to some extent. You sort of meet halfway.Max Verstappen claimed, as reported by Express Sport.
Toto Wolff has claimed the ball is in Mercedes’ court to decide whether Max Verstappen can be approached
Seeing Lewis Hamilton leave one top team in Formula 1 to take up the seat at another, fans have wondered if Max Verstappen can pull off such a move too. The Dutchman is currently at the peak of his career with Red Bull’s help but there is a chance Mercedes might approached him to take up Hamilton’s old seat beside George Russell.
Toto Wolff and James Allison (via Motorsport.com).
When the Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff was asked about it, he did not dismiss the idea entirely.
We will always try to have the best possible combination in our car and seek out these discussions. Drivers always want to be in the fastest car. It’s up to us to demonstrate that we can build the fastest car – not just in the short and medium term, but also in the long term. This will then lead to opportunities. The ball is in our court.Toto Wolff said, as reported by PlanetF1.
In other news, there have been some rumors about Red Bull being interested in their former driver Alex Albon to get him replace Sergio Perez in 2025 since both the racers will be seeing their contracts expire after this season. But FIA accredited journalist Thomas Maher wrote in his X wall that these rumors have been aired by Albon’s team to get Mercedes to pay him attention while considering the driver options for Lewis Hamilton’s old seat.
