The Formula One season has just begun and although there are still 17 races left till next year there have already been some major changes to the paddock for the 2025 season.
Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz will make way for seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton at the Prancing Horse, while Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey announced he would be departing the team in 2025.
It came in the wake of the Christian Horner saga, and while the Red Bull team principal was cleared by an internal investigation over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, Newey still decided to walk away from the Red Bull set-up.
The shift and movement along the grid seems to be far from over as Mercedes are still trying to lure champion Max Verstappen to join them, however the Dutch driver is reluctant to make the jump as he has concerns over Mercedes’ car.
Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull until 2026 and although he is still dominating the field with Red Bull, the three-time champion is doubting his future with Red Bull amidst the fallout from the Horner allegations.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has made it clear he is interested in recruiting the talented driver to take him away from the turmoil he has experienced at Red Bull this year.
However, although Wolff’s offer may be tempting from a financial and PR aspect, the Austrian may struggle to convince the competitive Dutchman that he can produce a car that will allow him to clinch his fourth drivers championship in.
According to Auto Motor und Sport, Mercedes can’t produce a car that the 26-year-old ‘would want to sit in’, which is a major factor for a driver who is eager to win more driver’s championships.
Although Mercedes dominated between 2014 and 2020, the Silver Arrows have struggled to produce a car to rival Red Bull since 2021.
