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via Imago

via Imago

The whole Christian Horner ordeal has stirred up rumors of Max Verstappen leaving the team for Mercedes. After winning the first race of 2024 in Bahrain by a 22-second lead, the Dutch driver’s father Jos Verstappen was spotted talking to Toto Wolff. As soon as this news reached the internet, the rumors of the possible transfer started spreading like wildfire.

While everyone is talking about Verstappen’s transfer to Mercedes, the internet forgets nothing. Before the Red Bull champion was taken under Helmut Marko’s wing, there was some Twitter banter from back in 2016 that showcases the driver’s interest in joining the Silver Arrows.

Was Mercedes Max Verstappen’s first choice?

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At the age of 17, Max Verstappen created history by being the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix. But before his 2016 Spanish Grand Prix win, he was on Twitter, drafting a mail to join Mercedes. This mail can be found in a Twitter thread from back in 2016, where the driver shared his interest in joining the Silver Arrows.

Back in 2016, Mercedes uploaded an image of what looks like Max Verstappens mail to join their team. To this, the Dutch driver replied, “My job application is at least the best from the ones you got sent isn’t it?” The banter continued as Mercedes replied, “When you put it like that… see you at 09:00 Monday morning? Bring cake. We like cake.”

The next post from Verstappen showed a screenshot of Toto Wolff giving him a call and a caption that said, “Should I pick up?” After which, the racing team ended the thread by saying, “Just returning your call. Maybe talk later. Got someone to speak to first…” The response came with a screenshot of multiple calls from Max Verstappen and one from David Coulthard.

Read More – F1 Rumor: Muhammed Bin Sulayem Asked Max Verstappen to Turn Back on Father and Publicly Support Christian Horner

This interesting interaction showcases that the two parties have been on talking terms about this in the past, strengthening the rumors of the transfer. And after the first 2024 race in Bahrain, Toto Wolff also shared his views on the possibility of Max Verstappen joining Mercedes.

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Does Toto Wolff believe Max Verstappen will join the Silver Arrows?

Christian Horner has made Red Bull the center of attention, for the wrong reasons. The Dutch driver’s father Jos Verstappen is being vocal about Red Bull “exploding” if the Horner issue is not taken care of. He has also voiced his views on Max being in a team that will let him focus on driving and excel at his craft. Papa Verstappen’s conversation with Toto Wolff brought questions to the team principal.

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When asked about the possibility of the 3-time world champion moving to Mercedes, Wolff said, “I think the driver will always choose the quickest car, that is fundamentally what it’s all about at the moment. Red Bull is the quickest car, so that would, in my opinion, always be the priority.” Explaining what the two were talking about he added, “I have known Jos for 25 years – with ups and downs – and I just congratulated him on his son’s achievements. Max drives in a galaxy all his own.”

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When the question about Verstappen’s transfer came up, Wolff teased and said, F1 fans saying, “Anything is possible.” This has Red Bull fans disappointed, but Mercedes fans rejoicing. If Mercedes gives Max Verstappen the right car, do you think he will be able to win more titles with the team? Or is it just Adrian Newey’s car that pushes the Dutch driver? Let us know what you think in the comments below.