Verstappen to Mercedes? "He'll keep that door open"

Red Bull Racing told Max Verstappen this season that they wanted to make him the youngest world champion ever. That's almost certainly not going to happen anymore and that makes it the fifth season in a row that the Dutchman has no chance of winning the world title. How much patience does he have?

According to former F1 driver JJ Lehto, a driver of the Verstappen calibre will definitely look around. In this case to Mercedes, because that remains the team everyone wants to drive for at the moment. He therefore believes that there is a breakaway clause in his contract.

"A driver of his calibre keeps the door open in every direction. With Red Bull, Max is able to win every now and then. There is nothing to suggest that the balance of power will change drastically in the years to come. Red Bull is the second team and Mercedes is number one," Lehto says to Iltalehti.

Lehto then plays with the idea of what the Mercedes team would look like if Verstappen replaced either Hamilton or Bottas. "With Hamilton he would collide both on and off the track, while Bottas' experience and knowledge of the car would be a useful addition".