F1, Max Verstappen could end up at Mercedes

Max Verstappen in Abu Dhabi has truly rewritten F1 history. The talent born in 1997 brought Holland to the top of the world of motorsport for the first time, so far without a world champion. Furthermore, the Red Bull driver put an end to the Mercedes hegemony that had lasted since 2014. And to think that Verstappen himself could have been part of the German team if a sensational negotiation had gone through when Max was still racing in F3, as emerged from the documentary Maximum aired on Dutch TV channels.

DUEL

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Just as Lewis Hamilton opened his winning cycle with the Silver Arrows, Mercedes had set its sights on the promising Dutch talent with the idea of ​​introducing him to the nursery. The same thought made by Red Bull. The challenge experienced this season on the F1 circuits took place on that occasion in the market. Jos Verstappen , Max’s father, tells in the documentary how insistent the court of the German team had been: “Niki Lauda wanted to bring Max in a Mercedes. I remember that as soon as we left the Red Bull camper after a meeting, we found him immediately in front of him” .

WINNING CARD

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Given the strong competition from Mercedes, the Austrian team was forced to look for any jokers. The right move to close the deal to his advantage was linked to Max’s future. Team principal Christian Horner revealed: “Red Bull’s trump card was allowing Verstappen to get into Formula 1 right away.” By giving Max an immediate future in the top class, by skipping the championship in F2, the Austrian team won the match. In fact, in 2015, the Dutch talent made his debut in the top category with Toro Rosso. Then in the following season, starting from the Catalan GP, ​​the jump to Red Bull and the beginning of the long association.