Reports claiming Adrian Newey’s exit from Red Bull rocked the world of F1 on Thursday. While the claims are yet to be confirmed by official channels, it has sent the media into a frenzy. Now, similar claims are coming out about Max Verstappen, who could join Mercedes after a meeting with team principal Toto Wolff.
German publication F1 Insider claims the Verstappen clan is ready to sit down for a meeting with Mercedes’s top brass. Those include Mercedes team shareholders Toto Wolff, Ola Kallenius, and Sir James Ratcliffe. On the Dutchman’s side, the ones negotiating will be his father Jos Verstappen, manager Raymond Vermeulen, and Verstappen himself.
The publication claims there are two meetings scheduled in the coming days. One will be held during the Miami GP weekend. The other will take place during the race weekend in Imola. It is pertinent to mention that Jos was earlier pictured holding talks with Wolff during his infamous falling out with Christian Horner.
Mercedes, who are awaiting Lewis Hamilton’s exit in 2025, are keen on landing the reigning champion. Adopting the approach Ferrari took to poach their star driver, Mercedes might go all in for Verstappen.
Hamilton, as per reports doing the rounds on the internet, will make $100 million a year in salaries at Ferrari. As per F1 Insider, the Silver Arrows will not shy away from going way beyond that amount to poach Verstappen. As per their estimate, the Dutchman could sign a mega deal of $160 million [€150 million] a year.
Is there a connection between Max Verstappen and Adrian Newey’s exit?
Earlier this year, Jos Verstappen openly called for Christian Horner’s exit. The former F1 driver made the demand in the aftermath of the investigations that Horner faced. Red Bull GmbH, the parent company, “dismissed the grievance” leveled against the team principal by a female employee of Red Bull Racing.
The falling-out proved there was an ongoing power struggle, which the team immediately refuted. In an official statement, Red Bull claimed they were now more united than ever, a statement endorsed by Horner. However, reports coming from inside claimed otherwise.
Auto Motor und Sport’s Michael Schmidt claimed to have visited the team’s motorhome. Observing the environment, Schmidt claimed Adrian Newey was distressed by the power tussle and forced to work in isolation. Horner was meanwhile busy containing the damage by making new friends. Helmut Marko, on the other hand, started hanging out with his fellow Austrians.
Both Newey and Marko are reported to be in the same faction as Max Verstappen. Therefore, if the Briton decides to leave, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if the Dutchman follows.
