Max Verstappen Pleased With Lewis Hamilton Commotion While Red Bull Thanks Him For Weakening Mercedes

Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari in 2025 stands as the biggest driver transfer in the history of F1. The move marks an end to Hamilton and Mercedes’ 12-year partnership, halting the most successful driver-team pairing in history. Speaking about the same with OE24, Red Bull’s Helmut Marko detailed how it weakened Mercedes. Furthermore, the 80-year-old expressed Max Verstappen’s amusement over the move.

OE24 – “How did Max Verstappen react to the Hamilton change?”

Marko – “He was just amused.”

Hamilton‘s departure from Mercedes came as a surprise to Marko as well. The move’s timing particularly fascinated him. Given Ferrari and McLaren’s late surge, the Red Bull advisor believes Hamilton saw something in Mercedes that the rest of the world cannot. Nonetheless, it was a welcome decision for the Austrian team’s camp.

Helmut Marko on Lewis Hamilton:

“Lewis Hamilton is upset that he is not the highest paid driver.”

“Apart from the sporting perspective, Lewis is anything but happy that he is no longer the highest earning driver in Formula 1. That’s now Max Verstappen.”

“At least he can… pic.twitter.com/WrxJFkaI3Z

— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) May 23, 2023

Marko believes the move will certainly weaken Mercedes, which is a good thing for Red Bull. Whether or not it will strengthen Ferrari is still up for debate. He believes the move will impact the overall landscape of F1, particularly in the stock market. However, as things stand, Red Bull has one less team to worry about, according to Marko’s words.

With the Lewis Hamilton departure imminent, Toto Wolff accepts his mistake

Hamilton, Mercedes, and Toto Wolff have been the center of every news headline since the start of February. After two weeks of constant discussions, the two long-time friends appeared together in front of the public.

Launching the W15, Wolff spoke about Hamilton’s “emotional” departure from Mercedes. He also addressed the team’s dedication to challenging Red Bull at the front of the grid.

#F1 | Lewis Hamilton and Toto Wolff speak on Lewis’ departure at the car launch.

Toto Wolff: “Obviously it’s going to be our last year with Lewis so we’re keen on bringing a really quick car!”

Lewis Hamilton: “It’s obviously been emotional, it’s very surreal to be here. I…

— deni (@fiagirly) February 14, 2024

Furthermore, Wolff agreed to making mistakes with the 2022 regulation changes. However, he added that despite the flaw Mercedes did an okay job in F1. “We got it wrong with the new regulations, but we finished first eight times in a row, third and second in the constructors’, it looks a respectable result.”

Heading into the 2024 season, Wolff claimed his team aimed to “consolidate our position to Ferrari, McLaren, and Aston Martin.” Hoping to race at the front of the grid, Wolff believes his team has the driver lineup to beat. Additionally, he pressed on the team’s dedication to pursue developing a car that was capable of allowing the drivers to fight for the title.