Max Verstappen, the current Formula One champion, is allegedly going to get a startling offer from Mercedes of €150 million ($A245 million) per season in an attempt to steal the Red Bull star starting in 2025, according to OE24, the €150 million annual offer would break Formula One pay records even with bonuses.
Verstappen’s current compensation at Red Bull, which is estimated to be over $55 million USD ($A84 million), is more than doubled, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes presently makes an estimated $45 million USD ($A69 million) a season, but when he joins Ferrari in 2025, that figure will jump significantly.
According to reports, Hamilton’s salary at Ferrari is apparently between $87 and $100 million USD ($A133 and 152 million) every season. However, other bonuses and investments into Hamilton’s Mission 44 organization raise the deal’s overall value significantly.
According to the source, Verstappen will meet with Mercedes during this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix. Mercedes reportedly intends to introduce senior Red Bull consultant Helmut Marko, an 80-year-old who has been in charge of the team’s junior driver program since its founding in 2005.
Although Marko and Verstappen are close, the complex drama surrounding team manager Christian Horner has cast doubt on Marko’s future at Red Bull and increased tensions within the winning squad.
Earlier in the season, Verstappen told Sky F1 that Marko’s continued employment at Red Bull would determine his own future there, saying, “Helmut is a very key factor in that and he has to stay for me, for sure, Given Marko’s extensive knowledge and experience in the sport, recruiting him would not only be a huge coup for Mercedes, but it would also be the key to persuading Verstappen to leave the team where he has won three straight titles and appears certain to add a fourth this season.
Mercedes is among the many Formula One teams vying for the signature of Adrian Newey, the technical mastermind of Red Bull, One of the sport’s most well-known engineers, Newey was instrumental in creating Red Bull vehicles that resulted in seven drivers’ titles and six constructors’ crowns.
Despite having a multi-year contract, Newey will apparently be free to leave the squad at the conclusion of 2024, and other heavyweight teams will be vying for his services, However, it is said that Newey has already turned down Aston Martin.
On his YouTube channel, former F1 team manager turned writer Peter Windsor stated: “Aston Martin, Mercedes, Ferrari, and Ferrari would all want Adrian Newey, without a doubt, from what I understand, Aramco, the title sponsors of Aston Martin, has previously made a sizable financial offer to Aston, who has declined it. I view the circumstances surrounding Aston in this way.
This implies that Mercedes, having lost their biggest star in Lewis Hamilton, may sign three of the most reputable individuals at Red Bull in retaliation.