The Formula One season has just begun and although there are still 17 races left till next year there have already been some major changes to the paddock for the 2025 season.
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will make way for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at the Prancing Horse, while Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey announced he would be departing the team in 2025.
It came in the wake of the Christian Horner saga, and while the Red Bull team principal was cleared by an internal investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, Newey still decided to walk away from the Red Bull set-up.
The shift and movement along the grid seems to be far from over as Mercedes are still trying to lure champion Max Verstappen to join them, however the Dutch driver is reluctant to make the jump as he has concerns over Mercedes’ car.
Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2026 and although he is still dominating the field with Red Bull, the three-time champion is doubting his future with Red Bull amidst the fallout from the Horner allegations.
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Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been questioned amid the Christian Horner saga
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It has been reported that Verstappen may potentially seek a move away from Red Bull
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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff is trying to convince Verstappen to join his side next year
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has made it clear he is interested in recruiting the talented driver to take him away from the turmoil he has experienced at Red Bull this year.
However, although Wolff’s offer may be tempting from a financial and PR aspect, the Austrian may struggle to convince the competitive Dutchman that he can produce a car that will allow him to clinch his fourth drivers championship in.
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According to Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes can’t produce a car that the 26-year-old ‘would want to sit in’, which is a major factor for a driver who is eager to win more driver’s championships.
Although Mercedes dominated between 2014 and 2020, the Silver Arrows have struggled to produce a car to rival Red Bull since 2021.
Wolff’s men have been way off the pace set by Red Bull in recent years and currently sit fourth in the constructors’ championship, behind Ferrari and McLaren.
Following the shock announcement that long time Mercedes posterboy Lewis Hamilton would be leaving the team to join Ferrari in 2025, the Brackley based team only have one driver contracted for next season.
Wolff will be hoping he can find a replacement for Hamilton to team up alongside George Russell.
However the Austrian will be hesitant to make an hasty decisions if it is a possibility that Verstappen could be poached from Red Bull.
Speaking to the media after the Miami Grand Prix about the possibility of signing Verstappen next year Wolff said ‘There’s always plenty of meetings. I can’t really say about the second driver. I think we’ve talked about the possibilities. I want to be fair to these guys and not make it look like we are playing chess with humans, because we are not doing that.
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Red Bull’s racing engineer Adrian Newey will leave the team in the early parts of 2025
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Verstappen is reluctant to join Mercedes as he believes they can’t produce a winning car
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Mercedes are in the hunt for a second driver with Hamilton (right) set to join Ferrari in 2025
‘I think we want to take our time, see where Max’s thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers. Carlos [Sainz] was very strong in Miami again and that’s why we are a little bit on an observation mode at the moment’. He said after the Miami race.
‘As I said before, if I was him, I wouldn’t leave, at least for 2025. But it’s all in his… he’s the leading the driver, he’s the top guy at the moment and that’s why it’s for him to take those decisions. There may not be any decisions to take, maybe everything continues like it is, but that is then also guidance for us.’
