2015 was an unusual time in F1 for Red Bull. At one end, they had lost their champion team status to Mercedes. On the other hand, they had found one superb talent in Max Verstappen. While they were nurturing the Dutchman under their young driver program, Toto Wolff and Co. were prowling to see if they could sneak the young prodigy. Verstappen had made a great name for himself in his rookie season. So, looking at his performances, Christian Horner knew this kid was ready for a top-team drive.

Back in 2015, Verstappen had a relatively solid season for Toro Rosso. With a couple of 4th place finishes, the Red Bull rookie had turned heads in the paddock. So, Christian Horner issued a chilling warning to rival teams who may have thought to snap up Max into their team.

As per Motorsport.com, talking to BBC Radio 5 Live, Horner said, “As with all the junior drivers, they’re all Red Bull Racing drivers and currently he’s on loan to Toro Rosso, as is Carlos Sainz, and Daniil Kvyat and Daniel Ricciardo before them.”

“Of course having invested in them, and I’m not going to go into the details of what their contractual status is, but rival teams are speaking to the wrong people if they’re talking to the driver because the driver has a contract.”

So, Horner had asserted their claim on Verstappen for the future. While Toto Wolff and Mercedes may have thought to break off Red Bull’s love affair with the Dutchman, they had a settled line-up in Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

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Apparently, Verstappen had rumored talks with Mercedes before his entry to F1. So, there was a chance that he could have ended up in the Brackley stable. Though, as fate turned out, the Milton Keynes team bore with his volatile young days in F1, to get their championship reward.

Could Max Verstappen have driven for Mercedes even before his Red Bull journey started?

Max Verstappen straightaway was knocking on the doors of F1, after finishing Formula 3. Usually, Formula 2 or GP2, as it was formerly called, is the next step after F3, though Verstappen and his management team; could make the cut to the pinnacle of motorsport.

Thus, in 2014, their negotiations started for an F1 seat with Red Bull and Mercedes. Although there were differences in what both teams could offer Max. RBR offered him the Toro Rosso seat in F1 directly, skipping GP2, as Max wanted.

But Mercedes could not afford this luxury, considering it did not have a sister team. Secondly, they had both Hamilton and Rosberg contracted to full-time drives. So, all the Silver Arrows could offer Verstappen was a fully paid GP2 campaign.

As a result, Verstappen signed up for Red Bull’s program, to debut in F1 at the age of 17. While there were controversies over his credibility and young age; he proved his mettle. Still, how different it would have been if Max Verstappen took the Mercedes offer; given they were the fastest team from 2014 onwards.

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The Dutchman may have chosen the long-term option, but it turned out to be the best case for both Red Bull and Max. Their combination has developed into a relentless winning combination. Let us know your theories of what could have happened if Max chose Mercedes over Red Bull in 2014.