As rivals pile the strain on Crimson Bull, Helmut Marko admits that he fears Max Verstappen is not going to be at Crimson Bull for for much longer.
Whereas McLaren is simply 8 factors behind the Austrian outfit, with a 39 level deficit even Ferrari is inside putting distance, as Crimson Bull continues to flounder.
Crimson Bull’s final win got here in Spain and within the six races because it has averaged 18 factors, in comparison with McLaren’s 31 and Ferrari and Mercedes 22, the distinction even higher because the summer season break.
Although he has a contract that runs to the top of 2028, Verstappen, who has already admitted that each titles are “not sensible”, may have varied opt-out clauses in his contract, certainly on the peak of the Horner saga there was speak of those being triggered sooner somewhat than later.
Toto Wolff has made no secret of his want to have the Dutchman at Mercedes, whereas Adrian Newey’s anticipated transfer to Aston Martin will certainly have the Dutchman enthusiastic about the Silverstone-based outfit, particularly with Honda supplying the engines.
Aside from the trials and tribulations of the present season, Verstappen has already expressed doubts about 2026 when Crimson Bull will probably be utilizing its personal engine, all of which has Marko fearing for the very worst state of affairs.
“Subsequent yr he will probably be driving for Crimson Bull Racing,” he tells OE24. “However (2026) is so distant, and for now our full focus is on the 2024 world championship.”
After asserting Kimi Antonelli as teammate to George Russell in 2025, Wolff admitted that he nonetheless had his eyes on Verstappen for the longer term.
“I made up my thoughts 5 minutes after Lewis Hamilton informed me he was going to Ferrari,” mentioned the Austrian, when requested when he’d determined to go together with Antonelli. “Clearly we have been discussing with different choices, and clearly the Max thought could not be discounted fully taking a look at what occurred at Crimson Bull.”
Whereas Mercedes hasn’t given particulars of how lengthy Antonelli’s contract is for, Russell’s present deal runs to the top of 2025.
