Mercedes Offers Record-Breaking Deal to Max Verstappen: Talks Underway for Sensational Transfer

2024-04-27 10:16:58

Published27. April 2024, 12:16

Discussions arranged: 150 million francs per year: Mercedes wants Verstappen

After the sensational move from Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari, the next, long-unthinkable transfer could already come: Mercedes is getting serious about Verstappen.

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• According to Formula 1 insiders, talks between Max Verstappen and Mercedes are planned.

• The Silver Arrows want to make the Dutchman the biggest offer in motorsport history.

• Thanks to a clause, Verstappen would already be available for the coming season.

Will there be a mega-earthquake in Formula 1? On the racetrack, Red Bull has already won four out of five races this season – and is already thinking about the world championship again. There is still a lot of rumblings in the dominant racing team after the allegations surrounding team boss Christian Horner.

The former chief mechanic, Lee Stevenson, has already left the racing team for Sauber. This week it was announced that star designer Adrian Newey would also be leaving the energy drink giant’s team. The 65-year-old Newey is the mastermind behind several world champion cars – and is considered the most brilliant Formula 1 designer ever. If you believe the rumors in the pit lane, Ferrari and Aston Martin are keen on Newey.

Mercedes wants Verstappen at any price

But that’s not all: now the world champion team is threatened with a catastrophe. As several Formula 1 insiders report, after the Grand Prix in Miami there will be a meeting between superstar Max Verstappen, his father and his advisor with the shareholders of Mercedes.

After Lewis Hamilton’s surprising move to Ferrari next season, Mercedes is looking for a new number one in the team – and is planning the largest offer in motorsport history. Max Verstappen is said to be able to earn around 150 million francs per season with bonuses at Mercedes. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff, CEO Ola Källenius and multi-billionaire Sir Jim Ratcliffe want the 26-year-old Dutchman – whatever the cost. A contract as a brand ambassador for Mercedes beyond his career should also be part of the offer.

Early change thanks to clause?

But how could Verstappen move to his arch-rival despite his current contract? The answer is Dr. Helmut Marko. The 81-year-old Austrian is a motorsport consultant at Red Bull, a confidant and mentor to Verstappen. Verstappen has a clause that he can leave Red Bull early if Marko leaves the team. How close the relationship is between Verstappen and Marko was already evident on the race weekend in Saudi Arabia, when the power struggle between Marko and Horner at Red Bull threatened to escalate. “Without him in the team, I think there will be a problem, including for myself,” Verstappen said at the time.

So the decision lies entirely with the reigning world champion. And in the Dutchman’s camp they should also be sure that the current Red Bull dominance would no longer be as great as the weak Mercedes car if Verstappen were to leave the team.

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