10 March 2024 , 12:48
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Max Verstappen has been told he'd be "stupid" to leave Red Bull and join Mercedes.
The Christian Horner saga has engulfed the sport amid reports of a power struggle within the Formula 1 outfit. Verstappen is known to be loyal to the team's motorsport advisor Helmut Marko, who was reportedly going to be suspended by Red Bull - although that hasn't materialised.
Verstappen has won the last three world championships, owing in part to an immensely dominant car which has allowed him to set numerous records in the sport. The alleged issues within the team though have cast doubt over his future, with a switch to Mercedes rumoured.
Former F1 driver Giancarlo Fisichella insists the Dutchman would be crazy to leave his current environment however. He told OCB Scores: "Anything is possible in Formula 1 and in life, you just never know. Nobody expected to see Lewis Hamilton moving from Mercedes and especially closing the deal with Ferrari. Nobody expected that. But we don't know if Max will join Mercedes, next year or in the future.
"In the place where he is now with the best team and the best car – it’s stupid move to another team. The salary is good at Red Bull and it could be the same or even more in Mercedes so who knows? But you know, you got a winning car, you are at the top of the world at the moment. Why, why move to another team?"
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Mercedes will be on the lookout for another driver from 2025 with Lewis Hamilton departing for Ferrari. The Silver Arrows had been the sport's dominant force for years, but are now playing catch up to the likes of Red Bull.
Toto Wolff though concedes he'd welcome Verstappen into the team with open arms. "I would love to have him (Verstappen)," he said. "But first we need to sort out our car. We owe it to our drivers George (Russell) and Lewis to improve the car and give them equipment that is good before dreaming about the future next year," said Wolff.
The Red Bull driver has been mentioned as a potential Lewis Hamilton replacement (Getty Images)"I think we are going to wait on a decision. We have a few interesting options. The more we are able to assess how the season pans out, young drivers, slightly older ones, that's not going to be a decision we want to take in the next few weeks, it's rather a few months depending on where it goes."
Fisichella added on a potential partnership between Verstappen and Russell: "It could be hard for George to work with Max Verstappen, but it also would be good for him. In the last year he has even been faster than Hamilton at times and having another demanding team-mate could help."