Red Bull chief assesses Max Verstappen to Mercedes chances if Lewis Hamilton quits F1

A senior Red Bull figure has dismissed the idea of Max Verstappen leaving for F1 rivals Mercedes if Lewis Hamilton retires ahead of the upcoming campaign.

Hamilton's future is up in the air as he remains "disillusioned" with the sport after missing out on the title due to a controversial call from race director Michael Masi in the 2021 season decider.

He and Mercedes feel they lost out on the drivers' championship through poor decisions from Masi, and the FIA is currently investigating what happened at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Hamilton is said to be waiting on the outcome of that probe before deciding what he wants to do, with the findings set to be made public on February 14.

Until then, Mercedes must prepare for the worst and will be formulating a plan of action should they need to recruit a new driver for 2022 at short notice.

Some rumours have suggested the Silver Arrows might turn to their Red Bull rivals' star racer Verstappen if they need to, and the cash they would save on Hamilton's contract would give them the cash to make a huge offer if they wanted to.

But adviser Helmut Marko is confident that his team will not be losing its prized asset, pointing to the crash Verstappen had at Silverstone which was caused by Hamilton as evidence.

"I do not think that Max will leave us then," he told Autorevue when asked if he thought Hamilton leaving might affect contract negotiations.

"The events at Silverstone have left too big a crack, especially with [his father] Jos.

"I think that makes him less likely to switch sides."

Verstappen himself has already declared his intention to create a dynasty with his current team, which sponsored him as a junior and gave him his shot in the sport as a fresh-faced teenager.

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