Max Verstappen was about to join the Mercedes team ten years ago, but ended up choosing to sign with Red Bull for his debut in the 2015 Formula 1 season at Toro Rosso.
The renowned Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen, has solidified his status as one of the greatest in the sport. With three world championships on his resume, he consistently outperformed his competitors and achieved remarkable success with Red Bull. However, tensions within the team in Milton Keynes put Verstappen’s future with the Austrian team at risk. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff now claims that Verstappen should consider joining Mercedes at some point in the future.
There were previous rumors suggesting that Verstappen was in negotiations with Mercedes as a possible replacement for Lewis Hamilton, who was about to move to Ferrari. However, the current world champion put an end to these speculations and made it clear that he would remain loyal to Red Bull.
Wolff recalled Verstappen’s impressive campaign in Formula 3 ten years ago. The Austrian even had a conversation with Verstappen’s father about the future of the young driver. Unfortunately, Mercedes did not have an available seat in Formula 1 for Max Verstappen in 2015. As a result, Red Bull offered him a fully funded campaign in Formula 2 for that year.
However, Max Verstappen had already secured a seat at Red Bull’s sister team, Toro Rosso, for the 2015 season. Consequently, the Dutch driver chose to join the Red Bull team instead of Mercedes. Furthermore, Verstappen was promoted to the senior Red Bull team in the middle of the 2016 season, and the rest is history.
Toto Wolff expressed his desire to see his relationship with Verstappen come full circle. The 52-year-old Austrian believes that Verstappen should make the switch to Mercedes in the future, although he did not specify a timeframe.
The current contract of Verstappen with Red Bull is scheduled to expire at the end of 2028. However, there have been rumors of an exit clause that could allow him to leave the team to join a rival team. Despite Verstappen’s clear commitment to continue his journey with Red Bull, Wolff emphasized that Mercedes could be a tempting option for the current world champion.
Wolff pointed out that Mercedes was the only top-level team with a seat available for the next season. He suggested that if Verstappen decides to part ways with Red Bull at the end of this season, Mercedes could be the only viable destination for him.
Undoubtedly, Max Verstappen would be a valuable asset to any Formula 1 team. With Verstappen and George Russell, Mercedes could boast one of the strongest driver line-ups on the grid. However, so far, the three-time world champion has not shown any inclination to leave Red Bull in the near future.
