Dr. Helmut Marko, arguably the key figure at Red Bull, addressed the swirling rumors of Lewis Hamilton potentially joining Max Verstappen at Red Bull, citing “emotional” and “financial” reasons why such a pairing wouldn’t work. But beyond these factors, the reality remains that both Hamilton at Mercedes and Verstappen’s current teammate, Sergio Perez, have contracts for 2024.
Perez’s performance, which saw a slump earlier in the season, has now rebounded, according to Marko. Speaking to Kleine Zeitung, Marko emphasized Perez’s recovery and achievements. “The goal for him was to come second in the world championship, and he achieved that,” Marko stated. He highlighted Perez’s two race wins and his regained speed and confidence, affirming, “He is our man for 2024.”
Meanwhile, at Mercedes, there’s a sense of frustration, particularly from Hamilton. He shared his concerns with La Gazzetta dello Sport: “We are suffering because we made the wrong technical choices, both last year and this year. And with the budget cap in force today, it’s difficult to recover.” This acknowledgment of technical missteps underlines the challenges Mercedes faces in the current ‘ground effect’ era of regulations, set to continue until 2026. Marko insists that Hamilton’s approach to Red Bull earlier this year was “serious” as he insisted that any deal would have to involve equality with Verstappen.
Ralf Schumacher, former F1 driver, pointed out the most surprising aspect of Mercedes’ situation. In his view, as reported by motorsport-total.com, there seems to be a pervasive sense of unease at Mercedes. He observed a lack of contentment among the drivers and even suggested that Toto Wolff, the team principal, appears “either bored or somehow puzzled, and sometimes he seems completely absent.” Schumacher also noted the tension surrounding George Russell, highlighting his apparent nervousness and aggressive driving.
“The team isn’t falling apart but there’s a feeling that something’s wrong. Neither driver seems happy. It’s clear that George Russell is nervous, he’s thinner than usual, he’s making a lot of mistakes and he’s being very aggressive,” said Schumacher. “Mercedes still have a lot of work to do.”
Contrasting with the stagnating situation at Mercedes, Ferrari seems to be on an upward trajectory. Schumacher praised the efforts of Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, saying, “At Ferrari, everything now finally seems to be going in the right direction. Everything Frederic Vasseur is doing seems to be working.”
