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BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 27: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner and Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko look on in the garage during Day Two of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 27, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
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BARCELONA, SPAIN – FEBRUARY 27: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing, Red Bull Racing Team Principal Christian Horner and Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko look on in the garage during Day Two of F1 Winter Testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on February 27, 2020 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
For years now, Mercedes have had their sights on Max Verstappen, hunting for ways to lure the Dutchman to their dominant outfit. However, Red Bull, having invested their future in the young prodigy, aren’t keen on letting go of the latest distinct world champion anywhere in the near future.
But, here’s something interesting! Mercedes did almost have their hands on the flying Dutchman before Red Bull swooped past and crashed the party. Prior to joining the Red Bull junior program, Verstappen was all set to sign up as Mercedes’ junior driver under the governance of Toto Wolff.
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Race winner and 2021 F1 World Drivers Champion Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing celebrates with Red Bull Racing Team Consultant Dr Helmut Marko in parc ferme during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Unfortunately, with Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg solidifying their spots at the Brackley outfit, Verstappen’s chances of making it into the team looked extremely bleak, at least for the initial few seasons.
On the other hand, at Red Bull, there was a promising future, as they offered Verstappen a year and a half of racing at Toro Rosso (now, AlphaTauri) before pulling him up to the championship-winning team alongside Daniel Ricciardo. Hence, turns out, Verstappen’s decision to choose Red Bull over Mercedes depended entirely on their contrasting mentalities.
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Why Max Verstappen chose Red Bull over Mercedes
According to Dr. Helmut Marko, head of the Red Bull junior program, Verstappen wouldn’t have cherished such rapid growth with Mercedes. Instead, the German outfit would have restricted him to sim work for an initial couple of seasons before handing him an F1 seat at Williams or other customer outfits.
“Of course, we knew that Max was talking to Mercedes as well, but with Mercedes, he wouldn’t have come to Formula 1 so quickly,” he told ‘Formula Max’ according to Motorsport.
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Race winner Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing celebrates with his team after the F1 Grand Prix of The Netherlands at Circuit Zandvoort in Zandvoort, Netherlands. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
“They don’t take those risks with a newcomer. But my plan to sign him and put him into Formula 1 straight away wasn’t to outdo Mercedes. It was simply because I saw that he was ready for Formula 1 and that turned out to be the case.
“I would say in general: Red Bull is different compared to Mercedes. We have much more of a ‘no risk, no fun’ mentality.”
Overall, how well has Red Bull’s alleged ‘No Risk, No Fun’ attitude worked out for Verstappen! Not only has he managed to put up commendable performances in F1 but also defeated a legendary driver like Lewis Hamilton in the race for the title. And of course, there is more to come from the so-called Flying Dutchman.
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