SUMMARY
- Max Verstappen's rumored move to Mercedes has been the talk of the town in the last few weeks.
- The Dutch driver has reportedly been offered a lucrative contract to join Toto Wolff's team.
Max Verstappen has been the talk of the town in Formula 1 for the last few years and that has been because of his dominance. The Dutchman has been winning almost every race and it’s a surprise at this point when he doesn’t finish in the podium places. But his racing talents aren’t the only reason why Verstappen has been going viral in the last few weeks. There have been some rumors that mention that he could join Mercedes.
For some context, Verstappen’s current contract runs out in 2028, and the young star is the F1 driver with the longest contract. Reports mention that he could be moving elsewhere, given a few determinants. Some outlets mention that Helmut Marko’s presence in the Red Bull team could determine whether Verstappen stays. This is one of the offers that Mercedes and Toto Wolff made to Verstappen.
🚨Breaking News🚨
Latest rumor: Mercedes is offering Max Verstappen a contract worth 150 million + ambassadorship + Helmut Marko.
After the #MiamiGP Max Verstappen will negotiate with Mercedes.
There’s no racing this weekend, but plenty of rumors swirling around 😭
Source:… pic.twitter.com/YAV0TdbCPq
— Marc | Formula 1 🏎 (@433_marc) April 26, 2024
Wolff has reportedly offered Verstappen a huge 150 million euros/$160 million deal where Verstappen will be a brand ambassador as well. This makes complete sense for the driver and the team because he is one of the most popular athletes in the world right now and Mercedes would undoubtedly be aiming to capitalize on this.
Toto Wolff denies Max Verstappen-Mercedes meeting
The rumor in the F1 world was that Verstappen would be meeting with Merc’s representatives in Miami after the race. But now Toto Wolff has told Reuters that the rumors of the meeting are nothing more. He said, “People make up meetings, make up what’s happening with the drivers but these things should be behind closed doors and everything that’s been out there was not really the right thing.”
Toto Wolff denies rumours of meeting with the Verstappen’s in Miami:
“No, that’s one of the rumours. People make up meetings, make up what’s happening with the drivers but these things should be behind closed doors and everything that’s been out there was not really the right… pic.twitter.com/LaEg888gMR
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) April 30, 2024
It could be a classic attempt to keep things under wraps for now, as speculations are at a high right now. But, at the same time, the rumors of a meeting could be just that, and it wouldn’t be the first time where there have been false reports of an F1 champion changing teams.
Wolff has no doubts about Lewis Hamilton’s commitment toward Mercedes’ success
Lewis Hamilton has played a pivotal role in Mercedes’ success in the last decade, winning six Driver’s Championships and contributing to seven Constructor’s Championships. Even when the team failed to deliver car that could contend for the title, Hamilton showed no signs of disagreements with the team. He always claimed that he was confident in Mercedes’ ability to build a car that could fight their rivals.
Despite confirming that he would be leaving for Ferrari in 2025, Hamilton has displayed pure class in continuing to fight for results with the W15. He hasn’t finished inside the top six so far this season and would be looking to change that for the better at the Miami Grand Prix. Wolff has no doubts over Hamilton’s behavior as well.
He said, “I think that Lewis is a pro and has behaved in that way until now, trying to keep his morale up and the morale of the team even if when the results don’t come. So I have no doubt that this is going to last. He has also been supportive.”
The 7x champ would be aiming to finish on a high with the Silver Arrows, as he has mentioned frequently since the news of his Ferrari move broke out. It would be interesting to see if he ends the F1 race win drought, the last time being at the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.