The confidence with which it is said that 1) Mercedes will try to get Verstappen and 2) that this will not work, already tells the expert who from Red Bull said it.
The love between Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton has cooled. For Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes was a nice book, but he finished it. Or maybe secretly it was the other way around. In any case: the Brit will still join Team Red after this year. A transfer that was proposed numerous times in the past by reliable journalists. But it never came to fruition. As a result, no one seriously thought it would ever happen again. Until, suddenly, it was all set and done.
And yes, while Mercedes indeed did not seem very keen to meet Lewis' enormous salary demands and desired contract duration, they now secretly have a problem. The car has not been in good condition in recent years, so you could benefit from an experienced hand. Last season it turned out that George Russell might not be the new supreme talent that people had hoped for. Since Toto Wolff has already indicated that he does not expect to be able to fight with Red Bull this year, things suddenly don't look so bright anymore. Who would have thought that for the all-winning team from 2014 to Michael Masi.
In Formula 1 you always have to be careful that such a period lasts too long. Because then you are suddenly Williams. New impetus in the form of the best driver on the grid would be the easiest way to turn the momentum around. So it is expected that Toto Wolff will chat with Max and Jos. They used to do that sometimes. Of course a lot happened after that, but hey, 100 million a year or something like that heals a lot of wounds.
Of course, Red Bull Racing is also awake. If, like Benetton after 1995, it loses its own multiple winner, Red Bull also knows that you can easily become the Benetton of 1996. Helmut Marko realizes this what is to come. But, he indicates that he is sure of his case:
Toto Wolff will try, but he will not be successful. Verstappen has a memory like an elephant.
Helmut Marko, pulls Silverstone 2021 out of the ditch
Marko is referring to the battle between Max and Lewis in 2021 and specifically to the events of Zilversteen. Max and certainly Jos were – and rightly so – disgusted by Hamilton's action on the track and perhaps especially the attitude of Mercedes after the race.
Now it seems much more likely to us that Verstappen will one day take over from Hamilton at Ferrari than that he will go to Mercedes. But what if Mercedes says sorry and really gives Max a few Brinks trucks? Maybe with some shares? Loyalty in F1 actually does not exist, as has been proven again this week…
This article Red Bull: “Mercedes will make a futile attempt to sign Verstappen” first appeared on Autoblog.nl.
#Red #Bull #Mercedes #futile #attempt #sign #Verstappen
