Max Verstappen won’t be supplied a bumper pay rise by Crimson Bull because the workforce is already “near the restrict” together with his present wage, based on the workforce’s advisor and head of younger driver growth Helmut Marko.
The 24-year-old Dutchman received his maiden Method 1 world championship on the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December with a final lap overtake on Lewis Hamilton, following a sensational battle between the pair one of many biggest seasons within the historical past of the game. The victory didn’t come with out controversy, although, as FIA Race Director Michael Masi’s unprecedented dealing with of a late security automobile interval attributable to Williams Nicholas Latifi basically gifted the title to Verstappen.
Now, Crimson Bull is eager to tie their star man all the way down to a brand new long-term deal, together with his present contract set to run out on the finish of the 2023 season. Hamilton shall be nearly 39 by the point that marketing campaign involves a detailed, and Crimson Bull shall be eager to make sure Mercedes are unable to even think about an method for Verstappen by locking him right into a multi-year deal as rapidly as potential.
Marko gave an replace on the progress of talks to Austrian journal Autorevue, saying that concrete discussions are deliberate for simply previous to the start of the brand new season. “We shall be holding talks with Max within the subsequent few weeks,” he stated. “His supervisor [Raymond Vermeulen] was tough to speak to as a result of his son was on the 24-hour race in Dubai along with Jos [Verstappen].”
A major pay enhance is just not on the playing cards, although, with Marko commenting that Crimson Bull is already paying Verstappen near the utmost it could actually afford. He stated: “With Verstappen, we’re already near the restrict. In some unspecified time in the future, that’s the top.”
A transfer to Mercedes is an unlikely situation, Marko believes, partly due to Verstappen’s anger in the direction of the Silver Arrows after Hamilton hit him out of the race at Copse nook at Silverstone final yr, and due to his long-term perception within the Crimson Bull venture.
“I don’t assume Max will go there,” he added. “I consider that the occasions at Silverstone made him much less inclined to alter sides. “Regardless that we noticed that we definitely weren’t going to win a world championship with the Renault engine, he stood by the workforce. We all the time instructed him brazenly what our plans had been after we began working with Honda. He’s additionally knowledgeable about different developments. That’s why I consider his statements that he feels very snug with us.”
The brand new Method 1 season kicks off with the Bahrain Grand Prix on the weekend of 18 March. Hamilton’s participation remains to be unsure, as he stays silent following the furore over the Abu Dhabi finale.
Kaynak: briturkish.com
