Mercedes is reportedly willing to wait until October to finalize its 2025 F1 driver line-up, with the team holding out in hopes of poaching Max Verstappen from Red Bull.
And the extended timescale for the Silver Arrows comes amid concerns that long-time Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko remains vulnerable to a potential power grab by team principal Christian Horner. That could work in Verstappen’s favor.
Will Mercedes intend to wait as long as possible to acquire Max Verstappen from Red Bull?
Verstappen remains under contract until the end of the 2028 F1 season, and despite winning four of the first six races in F1 in 2024, he has no plans for next year amid the off-track turmoil currently engulfing the team. It has a lot to do with leaving Red Bull. .
After an investigation into Horner’s conduct was dismissed in February, Verstappen’s father Jos publicly called for the team principal’s resignation after the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix, accusing Horner of “playing the victim when it was his fault.” “I’m still alive,” he said, casting doubt on his son’s future. problem. “
Red Bull have since been reeling from the news that design guru Adrian Newey will leave the team early next year, while Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has announced that he will join Ferrari in F1 in 2025. He has made no secret of his desire to sign Verstappen as Lewis Hamilton’s successor.
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PlanetF1.com revealed in March that Verstappen’s future is closely linked to Marko’s, with the three-time world champion’s contract being unknowingly inserted into the contract by Horner and other senior members of Red Bull’s parent company. It is believed to contain a clause that could allow Verstappen to: Leave when Marco is fired.
A German report last month said Verstappen was “in trouble” in the driver market, with Horner planning to use his ongoing powers to oust Marko if he was involved with Red Bull beyond this season. It is said that there is a high possibility that this will give the go-ahead to strengthen the system. Since the death of founder Dietrich Mateschitz in October 2022, conflicts within the team have continued.
And in a new development, it is claimed that uncertainty over Verstappen’s future could extend into the final weeks of the season.
Verstappen’s only realistic option is Mercedes, and Wolff’s early decision would leave Marko exposed to Horner’s machinations, with Horner acting knowing that Red Bull’s star driver had nowhere else to go. will be given the authority to do so.
It is claimed that Verstappen’s Marko-related exit clause must be triggered immediately if the 81-year-old is fired or suspended, but the lack of an attractive alternative means that Verstappen It would be highly unlikely that Marco would seek a quick escape route after his firing.
This latest development comes after it was rumored last week that Marko promised Verstappen that he would “do whatever he wants” and could even smooth his path to world champions Mercedes by quitting Red Bull himself, which led to Verstappen being released from his contract. The announcement comes after there were rumors that the clause could be triggered.
Verstappen is said to be cool about joining Mercedes given the team’s lack of success in the current ground-effect era, but he is concerned about the next rule in F1 in 2026 when the engine fails. He is said to be keeping in mind that it may make sense for him to join the Silver Arrows for a reset. is poised to once again become a key performance differentiator.
If he is unable to sign Verstappen now, Wolff would like to challenge Verstappen again in F1 in 2026, and will use 17-year-old Italian sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli alongside George Russell in the 2025 F1 season. He is reportedly willing to take the risk. .
It is unclear whether Antonelli or Russell, who scored Mercedes’ last win at the 2022 Brazilian Grand Prix, would move aside to make way for Verstappen in that scenario.
The FIA ​​issued a special disposition request to PlanetF1.com during the recent Miami Grand Prix weekend to allow Antonelli to race in F1 before his 18th birthday (the minimum age for a driver to qualify for an F1 Super License). The governing body acknowledged that it had received it. In August, speculation swirled that the teenager would replace Logan Sargent at Williams.
It has been suggested that Antonelli could spend the second half of the season with Williams to allow Mercedes to assess his performance with a view to promoting him as Hamilton’s replacement in F1 in 2025.
Antonelli recently began extensive test sessions with Mercedes in preparation for its step up to F1, testing older cars at the Red Bull Ring and Imola, the venue for this weekend’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
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