Günther Steiner thinks Max Verstappen regrets not moving to Mercedes earlier. The four-time world champion has been strongly linked to a transfer for years but has always remained loyal to Red Bull. Amid new exit rumors and alleged tensions between the Dutchman and his team, the question arises whether Verstappen can still end up at Mercedes. Meanwhile, McLaren and Ferrari are also mentioned as possible destinations.
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Last year, Red Bull proved to be much less competitive than before. Moreover, the team was increasingly destabilized by the departure of several key figures, including Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, Adrian Newey, and Jonathan Wheatley. Nevertheless, the Austrian team slowly recovered under the leadership of Laurent Mekies. Verstappen was able to definitively join the title fight in the second half of the season and once again expressed his confidence in Red Bull.
Tensions
However, this season the team is once again lagging behind. While Mercedes and Ferrari were able to fight for victory in the first Grands Prix, Verstappen had to settle for ‘only’ two podium finishes. After the British GP, tensions between him and Red Bull escalated. After crashing in Austria due to a faulty rear wing, he retired again at Silverstone due to a similar problem. “Super dangerous,” the Dutchman fumed after the race.
Steiner now assumes that Verstappen regrets his choice to stay at Red Bull. The former team boss suspects that the 28-year-old driver had concrete offers from Mercedes in the past but did not accept them. Meanwhile, the door at Toto Wolff is said to be definitively closed for Verstappen. “I am sure he (Verstappen, ed.) regrets not going to Mercedes,” Steiner said in the Red Flags podcast.
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Door closed
“At the time, there were all kinds of negotiations between George (Russell, ed.) and Mercedes,” he referred to last season. “I think Max was the alternative for Toto Wolff, but he simply didn’t know what the future would bring. That opportunity slipped through his fingers. That was the moment for him to move to Mercedes, but at the same time, I don’t know if his contract would have allowed it. Red Bull also convinced him to stay and wait for the new regulations. But now everything points to it being too late for a transfer to Mercedes.”
According to Steiner, Toto Wolff wants to hold on to the current line-up at all costs. The Austrian believes he has ‘a very strong’ driver in Russell and sees Antonelli as his next ‘superstar’. “Max is much more expensive than George and would only put extra pressure on Kimi (Antonelli, ed.),” he explained. “I think Toto Wolff is smart enough not to make such a deal.”
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