Possibility Of Verstappen Going To Mercedes Dismissed By Marko

F1
Friday, 16 February 2024 at 00:00
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In a recent interview, Helmut Marko, the director of Red Bull formula teams, rejected the possibility of Verstappen leaving his team for Mercedes.

The team principal of the Mercedes F1 team, Toto Wolff, has to look for a driver replacement for the departing Lewis Hamilton after the end of the upcoming season.

Having to replace a seven-time World Champion is a challenging task, so while there are many options on the driver market at the moment, most of them are not really suitable for the seat.

Former F1 driver Christian Danner suggested the Wolff should try to snatch the triple World Champion Max Verstappen from Red Bull. On one hand, it sounds almost unimaginable. On the other hand, it might be possible.

When told that Wolff might try to snatch Verstappen from Red Bull, Marko told OE24: "That's actually his job as team boss, that he does everything he can to get the best drivers."

The 80-year-old would apparently not at all be surprised by such a move from the team principal of Mercedes. However, he isn't worried about the triple World Champion wanting to switch teams.

"No, he has a good memory. And too much has happened in the past. I just remember Silverstone or the turmoil at the finale in Abu Dhabi. This runs deep."

On the other hand, one might argue the team principal of Silver Arrows used to be equally confident in saying that Hamilton would stay with Mercedes.

The Mercedes-Hamilton duo was perceived as inseparable, just like Verstappen-Red Bull. But now that the seven-time World Champion has made a move to Ferrari, it seems everything is possible.

Asked what he would do if he were suddenly told that his star driver would be leaving for a different team (similar to Wolff), Marko again dismissed the notion as he added: "I would rule that out."