Max Verstappen has been the racer to beat for a long time now. It was in 2021 when he won his maiden title under controversial circumstances. Lewis Hamilton was so close to win his eighth World Championship. But some wrong calls by the race director Michael Masi back in 2021 saw the Dutch racer getting an undue advantage. Eventually with fresher tires, the Red Bull superstar broke Hamilton’s winning streak. Even to this day, fans talk about the 2021 epic showdown in Abu Dhabi GP. However, since 2022, there has been no controversy regarding who the deserving world champion is.
With change in regulation, and introduction of the cost cap rules and ground-effect changes, the whole momentum shifted to Red Bull’s favor. Moreover, the Austrian outfit managed to build the fastest cars three years in a row. It helped Max Verstappen win all the titles since 2021. Currently, he is on the verge of winning his fourth Driver’s World Championship. On top of that, performance-wise, there is no team with a better car than Red Bull. However, the internal situation might not be suitable at Red Bull for the Dutch racer. Lately, Max Verstappen talked about his F1 future.
Is Mercedes Ready To Steal Max Verstappen Away From Red Bull?
Very early in the 2024 season, there were signs that the internal situation was worsening at the Austrian outfit. First of all, there was a female employee who accused Christian Horner of “Inappropriate behavior.” Later, Jos Verstappen publicly criticized Horner for putting the team in a dangerous place where they might tear itself apart. Since then, the rumor has been circulating that Jos might want his son to move to Mercedes. Max’s father even had a few meetings with Toto Wolff and other Mercedes owners. According to OE24, Mercedes might offer Max Verstappen an epic deal of 150 million euros per year. And the deal also includes bonuses.
As per the rumors, there might be a possible transition between May 3 and May 5 before the Miami GP. However, Max Verstappen cleared those rumors in his latest interview with RMC Sport. The current reigning champion mentioned that money is not everything for him. He believes his future is within Red Bull at present. Moreover, he said the rumor about 150 million euro contract is not true either. But at the end of the day, Verstappen says he is pretty happy with what he is earning at the moment. Hence, money won’t be a differentiator. But Max Verstappen said, “It’s the performance that means more value to him.”
The Dutchman Is Undoubtedly The Most Dominant Racer At Present
Previously, Toto Wolff mentioned that from the outside it is quite clear that the fastest racer at the moment is driving the quickest car. But the Mercedes boss believes Max Verstappen is one of those drivers with good depth who can consider other factors as well. However, the Dutch racer has said it several times in the past that he just wants to be part of a happy and peaceful environment.
Moreover, nothing is more important to him than the performance of the car and him on the track. If all those things are good, then he has no reason to think about leaving. With the fast car that he has got at present, the triple-time champion has already won four races out of five rounds in 2024. He has scored 110 points so far.
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