Max and Lewis in one team at Mercedes? 'With the knowledge of now I'm balking at it'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen has taken over the role of Lewis Hamilton as the dominant force in Formula 1. They gave fans a blistering title fight in 2021, when the two had equivalent cars for once. Toto Wolff saw Verstappen opt for the Red Bull Racing programme rather than his team Mercedes in 2014.
Verstappen and Hamilton have really only had one season of truly equal cars, in 2021, and that made for a huge spectacle. Before 2021, Hamilton had the dominant car and then it was Verstappen who took over his role.
Verstappen and Hamilton in one team?
It is common knowledge that Mercedes also wanted to bring in the Dutchman in 2014, but Red Bull was the only team that could already offer Verstappen a seat that year (at Toro Rosso). As a result, Verstappen opted for the Austrian formation. Wolff reveals that, partly with the knowledge of today, he regrets Verstappen's choice.
"Whether I regret that with the knowledge of today? Yes, of course. But it was not an option for us, at the time we were very happy with Lewis and Nico Rosberg and then with Lewis and Valtteri Bottas. Max was not available after that either," Wolff told de Telegraaf.
'Max made a good choice'
Verstappen's success at Red Bull came late, but the Mercedes team boss says he believes the now two-time world champion made a good choice at the time. "Would Max and Lewis together in a team have worked? Maybe not. But I never had to ask myself that hard question. And we can certainly conclude that Max made a good decision at the time by choosing Red Bull."