Lewis Hamilton’s transfer news to Ferrari sent shockwaves through the F1 community. He ended a decade long association with the team, even though many expected him to retire there. It is similar to what people think about Max Verstappen’s ongoing tenure at Red Bull. But, Helmut Marko feels that Verstappen won’t do what Hamilton did.
Marko, Red Bull’s chief advisor feels that Verstappen will not leave Red Bull. Even if he does, joining Mercedes will never be an option because the two parties have a lot of bad blood between them.
Speaking about this, Marko said to FormulaPassion,
“Max won’t waver in the face of their offer. He has a good memory. Too much has happened in the past. Just think of Silverstone or the turmoil in Abu Dhabi in 2021. This is still a sore point, and I would exclude Max suddenly telling me that he will no longer drive for us.”
Things started back in 2014 when Verstappen was dominating the European F3 Championship. The Dutchman took six consecutive victories and it was all to attract the attention of big teams like Red Bull and Mercedes. Verstappen initially signed with the Silver Arrows’ junior driver program. However, Marko snatched the prodigy from Wolff’s brigade by luring him with an F1 seat at Toro Rosso in 2015.
This is the perfect way to end our extraordinary season I’m extremely grateful for all of the hard work that’s gone into this year by each and everyone of you involved @redbullracing & @HondaRacingGLB To win 19 races in a season is just incredible It’s a privilege to be… pic.twitter.com/vOkhVPyD0k
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) November 26, 2023
Meanwhile, there were also rumors that Wolff tried to sign Verstappen in 2017 and 2019, but the offers were not lucrative enough. On the other hand, the controversy of the 2021 season added more to the ‘bad blood’ between Mercedes and Verstappen.
What is Max Verstappen’s future in F1?
Max Verstappen is tied to Red Bull till the end of the 2028 F1 season. Christian Horner’s team did not take any gamble by leaving their star driver out of a lengthy contract for a long time.
Keeping a driver of Verstappen’s stature, the Milton-Keynes-based team naturally had to shell huge sum. The three-time world champion is earning $55 million a year plus bonuses from his current contract. He is also the highest paid driver on the grid.
2024 loading pic.twitter.com/gXWQ50CDrA
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) February 15, 2024
In 2028, Max Verstappen will be 31 years old, and he has often spoken about not wanting to race in his 30s. Therefore, there are doubts if the Dutchman would be willing to stay in the team and extend the contract further. Verstappen said that he has other ventures such as running a GT3 team or building up a sim racing team in the future.
