Formula 1: Japanese GP on Sky
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Max Verstappen in MercedesFernando Alonso at Red Bull – or Sebastian is coming Vettel Maybe come back from retirement as a racing driver? There are trade rumors and wild speculation about the biggest names in motorsports. Formula 1on hold at the beginning of the season. After just three races into the season, the focus shifts beyond the end of the year, while current sporting events become temporarily irrelevant. If record world champion Lewis Hamilton's sensational switch from Mercedes in 2025 the Ferrari Are there more big surprises to come?
Mercedes flirts with the Red Bull world champion
The fact is that the Silver Arrows want world champion Verstappen to be Hamilton's successor. “Yes, you can see what his performance level is,” team boss Toto Wolff said in a recent interview with Fox Sports Australia. The German official team has been flirting with the championship winner for weeks. But Dutch He is still under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028. However, the three-time champion is said to have a clause that should allow him to leave the team if his close confidant Helmut Marko has to leave early.
The 80-year-old Austrian is the rival of team boss Christian Horner in an explosive match. Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by an employee. Following an investigation launched by parent company Red Bull, the complaint was dismissed. but anonymous Emails Spicy details fueled the process, which in turn revealed power struggles at Red Bull.
In reality, Verstappen just wants to race and keep winning. After his recent failure in Australia, the lead of the World Championship will be defended and extended on Sunday (7:00 am / Sky) in Suzuka. Almost no one has doubts that he will succeed in Japan, because he is once again sitting in the best car. Therefore, it seems questionable why he should drive a Mercedes in the future. The car is down for the second year in a row and Hamilton even had the worst start to the season of his career. Despite the apparent interpersonal problems at Red Bull, Verstappen will probably have the best conditions there in the future.
All dates and times: the Formula 1 racing calendar for the 2024 season at a glance