As of: March 29, 2024, 11:51 a.m
By: Andre Oechsner
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The Formula 1 racing team Mercedes is looking for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton. That's why team boss Toto Wolff is publicly attacking Max Verstappen.
Stuttgart – Max Verstappen leads the drivers’ standings with 51 points after his victories at the start of the new Formula 1 season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. At the recent Australian Grand Prix, the reigning world champion had to end the race early due to brake problems. Verstappen is causing a sensation in the service of Red Bull Racing. But for how much longer?
Max Verstappen |
|
|---|---|
Born: |
September 30, 1997 (age 26), Hasselt, Belgium |
Current team: |
Red Bull Racing |
Contract until: |
2028, supposedly with an exit clause |
Toto Wolff is trying to lure Max Verstappen to Mercedes
Toto Wolff uses an interview with the Australian affiliate of
Fox Sports
to woo Verstappen. “We have one place available, the only one in one of the top teams – unless Max decides that he is leaving, then it would be filled immediately with us,” says the team boss from rival Mercedes. The leadership position at the German racing team will be vacant from next year.
Lewis Hamilton caused a massive earthquake within the racing scene at the beginning of February when the record world champion announced that he would be racing for rival Ferrari from 2025. Of course, a hard blow for Wolff and Co. However, moping doesn't help; a successor is needed.
Mercedes makes advances to Max Verstappen in the form of team boss Toto Wolff. © IMAGO/Christopher Khoury
Toto Wolff already wanted to bring Max Verstappen to Mercedes
What speaks in favor of a Verstappen exit from Red Bull is the ongoing unrest surrounding team boss Christian Horner. The husband of ex-Spice Girl Geri Halliwell is said to have behaved inappropriately towards an employee, but was initially exonerated after an internal investigation by the parent company of his racing team.
Wolff and Verstappen at least have one thing in common: the Mercedes boss once wanted to bring him to the German Formula 1 team as a young driver. Since Wolff was not yet able to offer him a permanent cockpit in the premier class, Verstappen gave Red Bull his promise. In Australia, the Belgian native also said that he could even imagine ending his career with the Red Bulls, his “second family”. Verstappen's current contract is valid until 2028.
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Max Verstappen at Red Bull reportedly has an exit clause
However, a back door should remain. The rumor mill says: If Verstappen's sponsor and Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko ever leaves the team, the 26-year-old could get out of his current contract early via a clause. However, there is currently nothing to indicate this. As Hamilton's successor, Verstappen would of course be the deluxe solution.
But from a sporting perspective alone, there is no imagination for the change. Verstappen will only sit in the best car in Formula 1 on his own initiative - and Mercedes has been lagging behind here for several years. The unstable rear end causes major problems for the drivers and costs far too much time in the fast corners. Hamilton and his colleagues also continue to complain about so-called bouncing, which is an aerodynamic phenomenon where the car essentially jumps over the asphalt.
(aoe)