Lewis Hamilton has been reminded just how difficult the prospect of him leaving Mercedes for another team on the F1 grid would be as his contract saga rolls on – and it also applies to Max Verstappen. The seven-time world champion has been associated with Mercedes throughout his entire F1 career.
His first six years in the sport were spent in a Mercedes-powered McLaren before he made the switch to the Silver Arrows in 2013. Throughout that time, and even more so over the past decade, Hamilton has been the focal point of the team.
As one of the most talented drivers in F1 history, Hamilton commands respect in the team environment and his voice carries significant weight. It was Hamilton’s frustrations with the direction of Mercedes’ W14 for this season that saw the team ultimately scrap their original design and make some radical changes.
Verstappen too has started to have a similar impact at Red Bull with the likes of Christian Horner doing everything to keep the Dutchman happy. Having that kind of influence takes several years to build in a team, something both Hamilton and Verstappen have had in abundance.
And Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur has explained how that may actually play against the iconic F1 duo if they were to ever consider leaving their current teams. Hamilton is out of contract at the end of the year with discussions still ongoing while Verstappen has hinted he could walk away from Red Bull in 2028 if he’s lost interest in the team.
Ferrari would be the most natural environment for either driver to go to with both of them admitting previously it would be a ‘dream’ to race for the Scuderia. However, Vasseur believes it would ‘take too long’ for things to click with a driver who has enjoyed huge success elsewhere.
“There are a lot of big names in Formula 1,” Vasseur said. “I often get asked about Max, Lewis, good engineers and so on. Of course you would like that, but in the end it doesn’t work that way.
“You have to understand the weaknesses and improve there step by step. I wonder if big names, who have not been involved in the Formula 1 project from the start, do they add something? If they join the team and then want to change everything, then you are talking about two to three years. That would take too long.”
It’s for that reason that Hamilton will unlikely ever drive for another team other than Mercedes. But Verstappen too may be in a position where he stays with Red Bull for the entirety of his career.
That may not end up being a bad thing on Red Bull’s current form, but history has proven that Ferrari will come good at some stage – and that is more likely to be without either Verstappen or Hamilton.
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