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Hamilton may hinder plans for Verstappen: "Lewis will never allow it"
- GPblog.com
Max Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull Racing until 2023, but there is a breakaway clause in the contract for the 23-year old driver. When this can be triggered is not entirely clear, but according to Christijan Albers, Verstappen may still be in the Austrian formation despite Honda's departure from Formula 1.
"Red Bull is a top team and as long as Hamilton keeps driving at Mercedes, I don't see that happening for Verstappen", says Albers in conversation with De Telegraaf. Even if the Dutchman himself would like to, a six-time world champion is going to put a stop to that. "Not because Max doesn't want to, because he doesn't care, he knows his speed is great, but Lewis Hamilton will never allow it."
Alternatives are limited
The options are limited for Verstappen anyway, as both Ferrari and McLaren have already confirmed their drivers for the coming years. "I think Max is in the best situation at the moment with Red Bull. It's just a top team, Mercedes are the only team that are even stronger", the former Formula 1 driver explains.
At Ferrari, Carlos Sainz has signed a contract to replace Sebastian Vettel for 2021 and 2022. McLaren thus lost a driver to a competitor, but it soon became known that the vacancy would be filled by the current Renault driver Daniel Ricciardo.