RUSSELL AND VERSTAPPEN TIPPED FOR MERC
Since both Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas are out-of-contract at the end of this season – and Hamilton only concluded his last round of negotiations at the beginning of the year – the identity of Mercedes’ 2022 line up is bound to be one of the key talking points of the coming months. But few expected insider speculation to kick off quite this early, as Mclaren CEO Zak Brown told the Daily Mail in Bahrain that he expected George Russell and Max Verstappen to replace Hamilton and Bottas.
“It seems to me that would be the logical choice for Mercedes,” said Brown. “Given George’s relationship with Mercedes – and he’s out of contract [with Williams] is my understanding at the end of the year – you have Lewis on a one-year contract, and you have Max who I believe is a free agent at the end of the year. Whether that actually ends up happening or not, and I’m not trying to stir it, that’s kind of what it looks like would happen to me.”
While both Russell and Esteban Ocon are Mercedes junior drivers, it’s understood that Russell’s stock is higher and he would be first in line for recruitment to the senior team. Although Russell signed a three-year contract with Williams in 2019 which takes him through to the end of this season, there was speculation last year that he might be replaced by Sergio Pérez, who ultimately took his portfolio of personal sponsors to Red Bull. Mercedes intervened in the affair via team principal Toto Wolff.
Mercedes has also been linked with a move on Verstappen, and Wolff admitted at the team’s 2021 launch that Max would be an ideal catch, though he ruled out making any approach until he had “a clear understanding” with Hamilton and Bottas. Verstappen is on a long-term deal with Red Bull which locks him in until the end of 2023, but this is subject to break clauses on both sides.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed “there is an element of performance related to Max’s contract” but that it does not relate specifically to the Honda engine.
He has also alluded to the pointlessness of using a contract to retain a driver who no longer wishes to be part of your team.
“It’s more about relationships,” Horner said during the launch of Red Bull’s new powertrains division. “You only pull a contract out of a drawer when you’ve got a problem, in my experience. The relationship with Max is very strong. He believes in the project, and what we’re doing. He sees the investment Red Bull is making, very much with the recent commitment on the powertrain, he believes in the people within the team. I’m confident that we won’t need to refer to any contractual clauses.”
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko heaped scorn upon the idea, telling Sky Sports Germany: “Zak Brown is a good storyteller. He talks all day long about funny things, but he has no idea what our clause on early termination of the contract really is. We just need a championship-worthy car and then Verstappen will be more than happy with us.”
On present form, you would think that Max is at the very least fairly satisfied with the package Red Bull has produced for him…