Palmer: "Verstappen would take every opportunity to go to Mercedes"

Max Verstappen seems to remain loyal to Red Bull Racing. The team that gave him his first victory in 2016 couldn't compete with Mercedes for the constructors' championship this year, but the thought is that Red Bull will take steps forward, which will allow Verstappen to stay with his team for a long time to come.

According to Jolyon Palmer, however, things are different and that when Lewis Hamilton announces that he is going to leave, Verstappen really will look for a changeover to Mercedes.

"If Hamilton decides to leave Mercedes, they will take Verstappen in and they will have the biggest driver in F1 in their team for the next few years," the former F1 driver explains at the Checkered Flag podcast.

Mercedes will remain dominant

Not only Mercedes will then go to Verstappen, but Verstappen will also be quick to make its own decision. "He will take every opportunity to go to Mercedes with both hands, even if he wouldn't get anything at all for three years," says the British. He expects it will be several years before Mercedes is no longer as dominant as it has been in recent years.

"They have a huge head start if you look at the financial resources and they can start using them in the near future."

Palmer, therefore, expects Mercedes to remain a dominant factor in Formula 1 even after 2022 and the new rules that come into force at that time. "It is difficult to see things differently."