Max Verstappen’s reported discontent with Red Bull’s internal power struggle led to him being linked with a move to Mercedes. As Toto Wolff looks to complete that move, reports suggest that Mercedes is ready to sway the Dutch driver away by paying him three times what Lewis Hamilton earned during his time at Brackley.
Hamilton has been with Mercedes since 2013 and created history with the outfit. However, post 2021, the seven-time world champion’s time in Brackley has been torrid, to say the least. As a result, he decided to move to Ferrari in 2025, a move he revealed ahead of the current campaign.
Hamilton earns approximately $50 million a year from his existing Mercedes contract. This amount will be doubled once he moves to Ferrari in 2025, which will make him the highest-paid driver in F1 history. However, as difficult as it is to fathom, Mercedes could get right back by smashing that record as early as next season.
In their effort to sign Verstappen, Wolff and Co. are ready to offer the 26-year-old a whopping $160 million a year (as per Speedcafe). The three-time world champion may find it difficult to turn down this lucrative deal, especially because of the reported internal turmoil within the Red Bull camp.
Why Max Verstappen could accept Mercedes’ $160 million deal?
In terms of finances, Max Verstappen’s potential move to Mercedes will make him one of the highest-paid athletes in the world. However, there is more behind this transfer than money.
Earlier this season, Helmut Marko’s reported rift with Christian Horner grabbed the headlines, and the former was on the verge of leaving. Verstappen, however, made it clear that he will only stay at Milton Keynes if Marko stays put.
The 26-year-old wants peace and stability to continue with his Red Bull stint, something that the Austrian stable seemingly doesn’t have at the moment. To make matters worse, over the last few days, multiple sources, including BBC, reported that Adrian Newey wants to leave the team.
Newey is widely regarded as one of the main reasons behind Red Bull’s recent dominance. Hence, if the decorated engineer ends up leaving, Verstappen could follow suit and take Marko along with him.
