The future of Max Verstappen has come under scrutiny amid the controversy surrounding Red Bull’s Christian Horner as the Formula 1 season heads to Saudi Arabia for the second race of the season.
Toto Wolff, the head of Mercedes, is of the opinion that Max Verstappen has no compelling reason to depart from Red Bull, although he has not ruled out the possibility of a future transfer.
Wolff is currently confronted with the challenging responsibility of finding a replacement for Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes. The seven-time world champion will be leaving at the conclusion of the season to join Ferrari.
Speculation has arisen that Mercedes is considering drivers such as Verstappen and Fernando Alonso as potential candidates to take over from Hamilton. Verstappen, the Dutch driver for Red Bull, is currently under contract until 2028.
However, there has been growing speculation about Verstappen’s future with the team due to the controversy surrounding Christian Horner. Although the team principal has been cleared of any alleged inappropriate behavior towards a female colleague, leaked private messages and photos supposedly from Horner have added fuel to the fire.
In light of these events, Verstappen’s father, Jos, has called for Horner to step down, and there was a heated exchange between the two in Bahrain. Verstappen Sr. believes that Horner’s presence will ultimately cause Red Bull to fall apart.
Despite the turmoil, Verstappen managed to secure a comfortable victory in the opening grand prix of the 2024 season. Given Red Bull’s dominant performance, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff sees little reason for the 26-year-old driver to leave the team anytime soon.
It was mentioned that the market is quite intriguing. For a driver, the most crucial aspect is to team up with the fastest individual, and currently, there seems to be no reason for Max to depart from Red Bull in the near future. However, the situation might change in due course.
Mercedes’ George Russell does not seem fazed by the possibility of another world champion joining the team. His contract with former team Williams extends until the conclusion of 2025, and he will have a new partner for that particular season.
In 2023, Hamilton outperformed Russell in the drivers’ championship, but the latter managed to outscore his teammate during his debut season with Mercedes. Russell secured a fifth-place finish in Bahrain at the beginning of this season, with Hamilton trailing behind in seventh place, as Red Bull and Ferrari claimed the top four positions on the starting grid.
Russell is confident that he is capable of taking on any challenge that may come his way in the Mercedes garage next term. He expressed, “This marks my third season working alongside Lewis, who I consider to be the greatest driver of all time. I believe I have performed well alongside him.
“Thus, whoever partners with me in the upcoming year or in the future, I am ready to face the challenge. I concentrate on my own performance and I am confident that I have what it takes to outperform anyone on the grid.”
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