Verstappen's Reaction To Hamilton's Ferrari Move Revealed By Marko
F1Thursday, 15 February 2024 at 13:00
Helmut Marko described Verstappen's reaction when he learned Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes for Ferrari.
Lewis Hamilton has been with Mercedes ever since the season 2013. Last year, he finished his 11th season with Silver Arrows, and in 2024, he will break the record for the longest team-driver pairing in the history of the sport.
The seven-time World Champion has been with Mercedes since the beginning of his career because even in McLaren's days, the team collaborated with the German brand.
Last year, the 39-year-old signed a two-year deal with Mercedes, and it was considered possible it would be his last contract in F1 before retirement.
However, Hamilton managed to surprise everyone when it was announced he would be departing the team based in Brackley for the team based in Maranello (Ferrari) at the end of the upcoming season. Helmut Marko told oe24:
"That completely surprised me too, a sporting sensation - especially the timing. One wonders how this came about."
F1 World Champion Damon Hill said he believed the seven-time World Champion would have stayed with Silver Arrows if he thought the 8th title was on the table. Marko suggested something similar when he said:
"Mercedes was overtaken by Ferrari in the second half of 2023, and McLaren was also faster. Maybe Hamilton noticed something that the outside world doesn't yet know."
The 39-year-old driver said it was his dream ever since he was a child to drive for the Red, and this might be the last opportunity he gets in his career.
However, some people, like Fernando Alonso, were not totally convinced by Hamilton's reasoning. The Spaniard taunted the Mercedes driver a little when he said it wasn't his dream a few months ago.
When the interviewer asked Marko about how the triple World Champion Max Verstappen reacted, he said: "He was just amused."
Red Bull launches their car today, February 15th, at 19:30 GMT. The Dutchman should be present and will probably answer a few questions from the media. So, we might get some more elaborate answers from the 26-year-old today.
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