Verstappen: Hamilton in for ‘awkward’ final year with Mercedes

Verstappen believes there will come a time when Toto Wolff stops including Hamilton in key team meetings

Max Verstappen believes things could get “awkward” for Mercedes this season, with Lewis Hamilton’s defection to Ferrari for 2025 having “leaked” early.
Speaking at the launch of the RB20, Red Bull’s 2024 challenger, Verstappen said he was not overly surprised by Hamilton’s move to Maranello, which broke out of the blue two weeks ago.
But he suggested the timing of the announcement could not have been of Mercedes’ choosing, and could lead to awkwardness further down the line.
“I think it must have been leaked because to announce something that big that early in the season, I think, for sure, for the rest of the year, I would say it’s a little bit awkward,” said Verstappen, who won 19 of 22 races last year as he picked up his third consecutive drivers’ crown. “Even though you have had a lot of success together, you can’t be included into everything any more.
“It’s not a surprise they were talking. I think it was just a bit rushed, the announcement. For sure he has a great relationship with everyone, especially Toto. But he knows at one point, and Toto for sure will tell him ‘Look, I know we’ve had all this success. But you can’t be part of certain meetings any more’. That is normal in F1. It’s probably a bit weird. But you are professional enough to deal with that.”
Asked whether that could be an advantage for Hamilton’s team-mate George Russell, Verstappen was unsure: “At the end of the day I think you’re professional enough to deal with it. It’s not like they are suddenly enemies. He has achieved so many great things with them. They are still behind him. It’s just you know at one point you can’t share certain stuff. But once he’s sitting in the car they will of course go flat out for him.”
Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, who is in the final year of his contract with Red Bull, also suggested there would be “very interesting dynamics” in the Mercedes motorhome this season. “And obviously, very interesting in the driver market as well,” the Mexican added. “It’s a lot earlier now. We’re going to see drivers trying to get their arrangements a lot earlier in the year because everyone is trying to get the best possible seat out there.”
Asked whether he could imagine himself in Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes, Perez replied: “You never know. But my target is to stay at Red Bull. That’s my priority number one and we’ll see from there.”