How a young German driver reportedly became collateral damage in the Red Bull vs Mercedes political game

German driver Mick Schumacher might have paid the ultimate price due to the politics between Red Bull and Mercedes.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had approached the Bulls about Schumacher after the German was axed from Haas.

However, amidst negotiations with the Austrian team, Mercedes were speaking against the Milton-Keynes-based team to the FIA, leading to Schumacher's case being thrown out by Helmut Marko and Co.

After facing the disappointment of not being offered a race seat following his departure from Haas, where he endured challenging seasons with the American team, Franz Tost, the team principal of AlphaTauri, actively pursued the signing of Schumacher. However, Red Bull ultimately declined the opportunity.

As reported by PlanetF1.com, Marko said about proceedings:

“It was mentioned at a meeting. It’s just stupid that Mr. Wolff at the same time openly made politics against us at the FIA again. With that, the topic was off the table. Why should we catch Schumacher? He is a Mercedes driver, Mr. Wolff is responsible for him."

And so Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff did try and take care of Schumacher. While he was unable to put the former Haas driver in an F1 car full-time, he was able to make him the third driver for the Silver Arrows.

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Aston Martin's mouth-watering offer for Dan Fallows that could not be matched by Red Bull

According to reports, Aston Martin allegedly presented Dan Fallows with an exceptional offer that even Red Bull couldn't match. The former aerodynamic chief of Red Bull was purportedly presented with a salary exceeding one million euros per month, along with shares in the British team.

From 2014 to 2021, Dan Fallows held the position of aerodynamics chief for the team based in Milton Keynes. His contributions played a significant role in the team's success during the 2021 season, which saw Max Verstappen dethrone Lewis Hamilton in Abu Dhabi.

Fallows' achievements made him highly sought after within the sport, and he eventually joined Aston Martin, a team that has made significant progress towards becoming front-runners.

Although the specific details of his offer remain undisclosed, reports indicate that Fallows was presented with the opportunity to acquire a share stake in the Silverstone-based team. This offer exceeded what the Austrian team could match, further highlighting the attractiveness of the proposition presented to Fallows by Aston Martin.

As per 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg:

"I've heard that [Aston Martin] has quadrupled Dan Fallows' salary, and he's also said to have received a share stake. The teams want to know and are poaching the best people from Red Bull. It's normal in Formula 1, it always happens."

Despite having captured Fallows' services, the team is currently behind the Bulls in the 2023 championship.