Mercedes has won two races in a row for the first time since 2021 which has turned the Brackley-based team’s season around. George Russell and Lewis Hamilton won the Austrian GP and British GP respectively, and this upturn in pace has the potential to shake up the grid.
Max Verstappen, who has been linked to Mercedes for months now, is struggling at Red Bull. Even though he is leading the standings, his team isn’t the fastest anymore.
Mercedes on the other hand, has developed their car into a race-winning machine. Plus, with more upgrades scheduled for Hungary and Belgium, the Silver Arrows could be back in the mix for the Championship in the second half of the season.
Silverstone was also the first time since 2022 that Verstappen lost two races in a row. In terms of race pace, he lost over five seconds throughout the course of the Grand Prix to Hamilton’s Mercedes.
“Yarışın sonunda, Hamilton’ın yanında sürdün… Ve sende ona başparmağını kaldırdın.”
Max Verstappen: “Harika değil mi? Elbette iyi bir yarış çıkardı. Ayrıca doğru kararlar verdi. Ve kendi seyircisi önünde kazanması. Bu her zaman özeldir.” ❤️ pic.twitter.com/k4ZH6sFgFn
— Mercedes ////AMG News (@MercedesAMGTR) July 8, 2024
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff wants Verstappen- a desire he has never hidden. A few months ago, this idea seemed unfathomable because Red Bull was much more superior but that isn’t the case anymore.
Verstappen wants to drive for a winning team, and if the 26-year-old sees better chances of competing for glory at Mercedes, there is nothing stopping him from making the switch.
On top of that, the internal turmoil at Red Bull involving his father Jos and Christian Horner isn’t doing him any favors. In the past, he also spoke about how he craves a peaceful environment to function, and with Helmut Marko‘s position once also under threat, Verstappen was open to moving.
It also helps that Wolff is reportedly onboard with the idea of signing Marko. What seemed like an impossible signing in the past, could now turn out to be the biggest signing in F1 history.
If Max Verstappen leaves for Mercedes, who can Red Bull rely on?
Horner’s job of potentially replacing Verstappen will be extremely difficult. However, there will be immediate solutions at hand. Daniel Ricciardo is a tested F1 race winner and knows Red Bull inside out. The honey badger would be a decent replacement in the short to medium term.
Red Bull also has its junior drivers to rely on. Yuki Tsunoda for one, has been a part of the group for years, but was never linked to the Red Bull seat until 2024. This has arguably been the Japanese driver’s best season to date and a promotion could be likely, in case Verstappen leaves.
Sergio Perez beaching it in the gravel is not how you want to respond when rumors emerge that Daniel Ricciardo could take your Red Bull seat and job in 2025.
This is an all-time Checo slump.
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) July 6, 2024
Sergio Perez’s seat at Red Bull also remains in danger. So, the Mexican is sacked, both Ricciardo and Tsunoda are candidates who could be called up.
On the other hand, a very experienced option in Carlos Sainz remains available on the market. But the Spaniard has multiple suitors ready to sign him, so if the Madrid-born driver is to join Red Bull, the move has to be completed in haste, which looks unlikely.
In any case, a change in the current driver line-up at either Red Bull or V-CARB would likely see Liam Lawson be drafted into the latter. This has been in the works for quite some time now with Marko and the shareholders eager to give the New Zealander a full-time F1 seat.
