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Mercedes has been handed a major boost in their pursuit of signing Red Bull ace Max Verstappen. Toto Wolff is a big admirer of Verstappen and has talked of bringing him to the Silver Arrows on more than one occasion. Now, Mercedes' Chairman and CEO, Ola Källenius, has also given the go-ahead to sign the 4-time F1 champion.
Max Verstappen had an enduring British Grand Prix, finishing P5 in a rain-affected race. Despite bagging a pole position in the qualifying, Verstappen could barely put up a fight against McLaren title rivals Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.
According to Italian publication La Gazetta dello Sport, the Brackley-based F1 team is willing to buy out Max Verstappen's €102,000,000 contract with Red Bull. The Dutchman has a contract with the Milton-Keynes side until 2028.
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However, given the current circumstances, it looks highly unlikely that Verstappen will commit to a future with Red Bull. Moreover, the team also sacked long-standing Team Principal Christian Horner from his duties after the British Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen enjoyed a dominant spell with Red Bull ever-since winning his first championship in 2021. However, the team has failed to keep up with their rivals, and the second car issues have continued to intensify.
With Horner and potentially Verstappen gone as well, it will be interesting to see how Red Bull shapes up for the future.
Lewis Hamilton says he would give a glowing Mercedes recommendation to Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton have been arch rivals on the track. But that would not stop Hamilton from recommending Verstappen to join his former team, Mercedes. Hamilton, who spent 11 years at Silver Arrows, won six drivers' titles and 8 constructors' trophies in that time.
Toto Wolff has always been a big fan of the Dutch Lion, and having missed signing him once before, he will be hoping that does not happen again. Lewis Hamilton talked about Verstappen moving to Mercedes during the British Grand Prix and said:
"Max didn't do anything. He did what he needed to do in terms of winning, so I don't think it would be a problem".
When asked if he would recommend his former workplace, he replied,
"Of course (I would recommend Mercedes)"
Verstappen is currently third in the constructors championship, but looks out of the title race this year already. With new regulations coming into play in 2026, it will be interesting if Verstappen and Mercedes could recreate their dominance like they did with Hamilton.
