Just one race into the season, and the F1 community has already identified Max Verstappen as the likely title winner.
Max, in his RB20, finished 22 seconds ahead of Checo (P2), clearly asserting his dominance and raising anxiety within the F1 community that this year’s season may lack competition.
Referring to Hamilton’s exit from Mercedes and the Christian Horner scandal, the F1 2024 season is mostly filled with drama rather than competition, making it not only the silliest season but also one filled with controversies so far.
This situation has left Mercedes with a vacant seat, and it’s assumed that Max is positioning himself for the Mercedes seat by leveraging his exit clause in Red Bull.
A report from an F1 insider has caused a lot of chaos by suggesting that Verstappen’s contract is connected to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.
The 80-year-old has been a leading voice at Red Bull since 2005 and shares a close relationship with the Dutchman.
Let’s delve deeper to know How long is the Verstappen contract with Red Bull and what circumstances are raised for Max to leave for Mercedes.
“Inside Max Verstappen’s Contract: The Countdown to Mercedes’ Temptation”
In 2022, Verstappen signed a five-year contract extension worth $55 million, locking him in until the end of 2028 after his current deal ends at the end of the 2023 season.
According to the report, if Dr. Marko leaves the team, it could change things. Last year, there were efforts to push Marko out, reportedly with Horner being held responsible.
In January, Marko signed a new deal until the end of the 2026 season. But Horner’s scandal has sparked new rumors, with Verstappen’s father Jos criticizing the 50-year-old Red Bull team principal.
Jos said the Red Bull team will “explode” if Horner stays in his job, even though he was recently cleared of misconduct towards a female staffer.
Read more:Max Verstappen Earnings: How Much Does ‘Mad Max’ Make a Year?
Jos told the British newspaper The Daily Mail after the Bahrain GP on Saturday that
“The team is in danger of being torn apart. It can’t go on the way it is. It will explode.
“He is playing the victim, when he is the one causing the problems.”
On the same day, Jos was also seen speaking with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff several times in the paddock over the weekend and had dinner with the German at the Four Seasons hotel.
Upon being asked about this meeting in an interview, Toto replied, “Anything can happen,” indicating the possibility of Max joining Mercedes in 2025 using his exit clause.
“I’m in no hurry for us to decide on drivers,” Wolff said. “I’ve been rushed in a hurry by Lewis. So, this time around I’m going to take it easy and evaluate the market.”
Does Toto possess information that the rest of us are unaware of? Only time will reveal the truth.
Gaurang is a writer at the SportsOrbit covering articles related to F1,Gaurang was 14 when he cared more about playing football than studying. But when COVID hit and he had to stay home, he discovered Formula 1. It immediately caught his interest. Since then, he’s been really into Formula 1, watching every race and learning all about it. He still loves football, but now he’s also a big fan of Formula 1, especially Lewis Hamilton. Even though he loves racing, he still looks up to Cristiano Ronaldo as his idol.