(Motorsport-Total.com) – Formula 1’s “Silly Season” continues to pick up pace. After rumors that Max Verstappen could move to Mercedes have circulated repeatedly in recent years, Ralf Schumacher has now brought this scenario back into play.
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In the Backstage Boxengasse podcast by Sky, the expert says in the current issue that there is talk in the paddock “that Toto Wolff made an offer [to Max]”. However, the offer was financially “so bad” that it was not interesting for Verstappen.
The story prompted Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, to comment on Schumacher’s statements on social media: “Ralf, you’re spreading false information again.” It’s not the first time Verstappen and Schumacher have disagreed.
Just two months earlier, the Dutchman had written on social media that Schumacher was talking “a lot of crap” after the expert had previously claimed that there were internal problems at Red Bull and that things were “a bit chaotic”.
Quite apart from Schumacher’s new statements, speculation about Max Verstappen’s future continues because there has been no clear commitment that the four-time world champion will also drive for Red Bull next year.
Does Red Bull want to buy out Verstappen’s exit clause?
Although he has a contract there until 2028, Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen confirms in the current issue of Sport Bild that there is an exit clause that would allow the Dutchman to leave the team prematurely.
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“We have a contract until 2028. Of course, there are exit clauses, there always have been. But we have never exercised one. On the contrary. We have always been loyal and will remain so. We want to continue the journey with Red Bull and Max to end his career here,” Vermeulen clarifies.
The contract durations of current Formula 1 drivers
At the same time, he also emphasizes that they want to do this “of course with the possibility of winning”. In other words: Verstappen fundamentally wants to stay at Red Bull, but wants to see the prospect of being able to win there again soon.
According to Sport Bild, Red Bull now wants to buy out Verstappen’s exit clause to put an end to all speculation and bind the Dutchman firmly until the end of 2028. “We want the decision to be made soon so that everyone knows where they stand,” says Vermeulen.
The manager explains that a decision could be made “before the summer break”, i.e. by the end of July. Until then, Schumacher will probably not be the last expert to link Verstappen with a move to another team.
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