Two-time defending world champion Max Verstappen continues to be a dominant force in Formula 1. The Dutch driver is proved to be supreme in the ongoing season. Red Bull are on course to win their sixth world constructors title. Red Bull Racing have won 12 Grand Prix this year. Thier succes is credited to thier start driver and with him they have left the Mercedesfar behind
Recently, it was revealed that Max Verstappen, who is currently dominating the sport, was passed up by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Mercedes passed on signing Max Verstappen in 2015
Max Verstappen has been with the Red Bull family throughout his Formula 1 career; however, had Toto Wolff taken a risk and signed him when the opportunity presented itself, the outcome could have been very different.
Toto while talking about the above topic, spoke about the time when he met with Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, and manager, Huub Rothengatter, in his office in Brackley. This was when Max was still karting, or just before he moved to Formula 3 in 2014. They met again at Wolff’s house in Vienna, where they discussed Max’s future for several hours. But he did sign the Dutch kid as Toto felt he wasn’t ready
He told ESPN: “Do I regret missing out on Max? Certainly. But it wasn’t an option back in the day. We had two drivers that I was extremely happy with, Nico and Lewis, and when Nico left [at the end of 2016], Valtteri [Bottas] was then the option and Max wasn’t even available.”
Wolff’s decision not to sign Max to a contract with Mercedes has been criticized by some, but it is clear that he was acting in Max’s best interests. Max went on to win the Formula 3 championship in 2014, and he moved to Formula One with Toro Rosso in 2015. He has since become one of the most successful drivers in Formula One history.
How old was Max when he signed for Red Bull?
Verstappen made his Formula One debut with Toro Rosso in 2015, at the age of 17 years and 166 days. He became the youngest driver to compete in Formula One, breaking the record previously held by Jaime Alguersuari. Verstappen impressed in his rookie season, scoring points in 10 races and finishing the season in 12th place.
This resulted in him being promoted to Red Bull in 2016, and he finished the season in fifth place. Verstappen has continued to improve in recent years, and he is now considered to be one of the best drivers on the grid. The Dutchman won his first race in 2016, and has since won 26 races in total. He is also the current Drivers’ Champion, having won the title in 2021 and 2022.
What do you think about the possibility of having Verstappen drive for Mercedes alongside Lewis? And do you think Max can reach the amount of success Lewis has had in the sport ever? Let us know in the comments section down below.
