Ever since Lewis Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes, there has been a lot of chatter about his potential replacement. Various names have come up, including those of Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel. However, recent developments suggest there may be another name on the list. A photo posted on Reddit sees Toto Wolff speaking privately with Jos Verstappen. Also in the picture is Raymond Vermeulen, the manager of Max Verstappen.
Given the same, there are now rumors of the Dutchman potentially moving to Mercedes. Chaos continues to dictate the Red Bull setup despite their on-track dominance. As such, chances are Verstappen wouldn’t want to be associated with the team. Speaking about a potential move for the three-time champion to Brackley, Wolff also donned an ambiguous avatar. He initially downplayed the meeting between him and Verstappen Sr., claiming it was only to congratulate him. However, he then claimed, “Everything is possible” when speaking about the chances of signing Verstappen.
Sources also claim Adrian Newey is moving away from Horner. They say Newey no longer sees himself as part of Red Bull’s multinational team. Having achieved everything, Newey only wants to build cars in peace. Given the same, Mercedes, or any other top team, could be an ideal destination for him. As things stand, Horner could soon find himself standing all alone in the Red Bull paddock.
F1 expert Ralf Schumacher also chimed in with his input. The amount of unrest at Red Bull has him seeing Max Verstappen doing “something completely different.” He claimed that a team structure is very fragile, and if key figures were to depart from Red Bull, everything could fall apart. Hence, Schumacher advises figures like Helmut Marko to find an appropriate solution to bring peace back.
Wolff does not want to repeat the mistake he made with a young Max Verstappen
Many people have wondered why Mercedes offered a short-term contract extension to Hamilton instead of a long-term one. Addressing the same, Wolff recalled the time he made the mistake that led to Max Verstappen slipping from Mercedes’ crutches. A young Verstappen was up for grabs, and Mercedes had the upper hand. However, with Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton tied to Mercedes for the long term, Red Bull took advantage and poached Verstappen. They gave him a contract to drive for Toro Rosso and brought him on board.
Per Wolff, the Toro Rosso contract was a one-year deal with the possibility of driving for Red Bull next year. A teenage Verstappen rose through the ranks and kept improving. He became a world champion in 2021 and has been able to defend it in both seasons since then. Hence, Mercedes now wants to exercise caution. F1’s ‘next big thing,’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli, is part of Mercedes’ driver academy. Securing long-term deals with other drivers could see him slip, too. Hence, Wolff decided to not offer a long-term deal to a 39-year-old Hamilton.
