According to an ex-F1 driver, Max Verstappen and Mercedes “pretty much confirmed a done deal.”
Former F1 driver Johnny Herbert has claimed that Max Verstappen’s sensational move from Red Bull to Mercedes is a “done deal.”
Red Bull and Verstappen are currently the dominant forces in Formula One, having won three World Drivers’ Championships in a row starting in 2021.
Verstappen began his 2024 campaign with back-to-back victories from pole position in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The 26-year-old has won 46 of the previous 68 races, dating back to the beginning of his first title-winning season.
If Verstappen wins the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend, he will tie his own record of ten consecutive victories.
only half a year after surpassing Red Bull legend Sebastian Vettel’s record-breaking nine in 2013.
Verstappen’s future is in doubt because of the recent drama surrounding team principal Christian Horner, even though he has a contract that runs until the end of the 2028 campaign.
With Lewis Hamilton announcing last month that he will race for Ferrari in 2025, the Dutchman has been linked to Mercedes as a possible replacement.
Since the beginning of his first championship-winning season, the 26-year-old has won 46 of the last 68 races. Verstappen began 2024 with back-to-back victories from pole position in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Verstappen could tie his own record of ten consecutive victories if he wins the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne this weekend.
only half a year after surpassing Red Bull legend Sebastian Vettel’s record-breaking nine in 2013.
Even though Verstappen has a contract that runs through the end of the 2028 campaign, the recent scandal involving team principal Christian Horner has cast doubt on his future.
with the Dutchman being connected to Mercedes as a possible Lewis Hamilton substitute, who declared last month that he will compete for Ferrari in 2025.
After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Verstappen’s father, Jos, demanded that Horner resign from his role, accusing the long-serving team manager of “playing the victim when he is the one causing the problems.”
following the dismissal of an inquiry into Horner’s actions.
A week later in Saudi Arabia, Horner countered that “nobody is bigger than the team” amid worries that Verstappen might leave Red Bull to work for Mercedes, following Hamilton.
Herbert has added his voice to the demands that Horner step down, saying that if “the Christian Horner show” does not end soon, the team “could rip apart quite easily.”
In addition, Horner received a warning from the three-time grand prix winner that if he attempts to “arrogantly stay put,” he “might force their main star out of the team.”
and forecast that, should the team principal stay in place, F1 design legend Adrian Newey might leave Red Bull after Verstappen.
According to BetIdeas, Herbert, who left Sky F1 at the end of 2022 after more than ten years as a pundit, now claims to have heard that Verstappen’s transfer to Mercedes is almost complete.
He said, “I hear it is pretty close to a done deal, brokered between Max and Mercedes.
“Is it a power play by the Verstappen team? Possibly.
“I don’t think it is the best scenario for Max. Mercedes has struggled for the last three years and still hasn’t gotten a good car.
“The whole shenanigans are ripping Red Bull apart, as Jos Verstappen has said. It is ripping the team apart to the extent that they might well lose their biggest asset.
“And that is not Christian Horner. That is Max Verstappen
He is the one who is binding everything together to allow the team to achieve what they have done over the past couple of years.”
Herbert believes there is a “very strong chance” that Verstappen and Newey will be reunited at Mercedes if they leave Red Bull, claiming the future of long-serving Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko will have a direct impact on Verstappen’s plans.
According to a Tuesday (bottom) report from PlanetF1.com, Verstappen’s contract includes a clause that permits him to leave if Marko leaves.
It is possible that this clause was added to the agreement without Horner’s knowledge.
“Adrian Newey will be very important,” said Herbert. Adrian might accompany him if the rumors about him are accurate. It is highly likely, in my opinion, that this will occur.
“It would be good for F1 and very good for the team to go with Max to Mercedes for another challenge. However, Adrian’s ability to turn things around at Mercedes will be necessary.
Lewis left because he believed the team could not give him the car he needed to win his eighth world championship. It makes sense in that way.
That would not be a rational decision for Max to make.”
“Max ought to stay at Red Bull if he truly wants to keep winning world championships. But harmony needs to return before that can occur.
“If Helmut Marko stays will be the key question. Max will depart as well if Helmut does.”
