While everyone concentrates on what Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez are set to do in 2025, there’s one driver who really controls this year’s driver market.
Max Verstappen is the man to beat on the grid right now and his domination with Red Bull is nearly unprecedented in Formula 1.
However, a report from the Austrian outlet OE24 has suggested that the Dutch driver could face a dilemma regarding his future.
Heading to the Miami Grand Prix, Verstappen is once again leaving the driver’s championship.
Four wins in the first five Grand Prix – and a Sprint Race win – have given him a clear advantage over Sergio Perez and the two Ferrari drivers.
Internal struggles within the Red Bull team have started to call several of the team’s key personnel’s futures into question.
It’s been suggested that Adrian Newey is going to move on soon after masterminding two dominant cars in Red Bull’s Formula 1 history.
If he departs, Max Verstappen might be considering his options and has reportedly been offered a world record contract ahead of a meeting with a rival team in Miami.
The 26-year-old is in a position where he can demand the world, especially as he’s won 21 of the last 23 races.
It would create a seismic shift in the driver’s market if Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton changed teams in the same year.
READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth and girlfriend to height
Max Verstappen set to be offered world record contract ahead of Miami meeting
Verstappen has made a habit of trying to avoid talking about what’s going on behind the scenes at Red Bull.
He’s left those discussions to the likes of Helmut Marko and his father Jos Verstappen over the past couple of months.
They’re his biggest allies in the paddock, so much so that Verstappen has a clause in his contract that allows him to leave the team should Red Bull and Marko part ways.
Now, it looks like Mercedes are set to offer a record contract to Verstappen and will hold talks with him in Miami.
Horner has previously told Toto Wolff to concentrate on improving his Mercedes rather than tapping up his star driver.
However, the team seems to be falling apart around him and with new regulations and a standalone power unit to prepare, it’s hardly ideal preparation for Red Bull in 2026.
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes AMG F1 Team from team principal to lineage
Max Verstappen could turn Formula 1 upside down with Mercedes move
The report from OE24 says that Mercedes want to make Max Verstappen the best-paid athlete in the world.
That involves offering Verstappen a contract worth £128m a year, including bonuses.
They would also make the 26-year-old a brand ambassador for when he decides to step away from Formula 1.
Mercedes are expected to hold talks with Verstappen in Miami and the prospect of a world record contract might be hard to turn down.
They also believe that Marko might receive an offer from Mercedes which doesn’t come as a surprise given the pair seem to come as a package.
Wolff is willing to offer Verstappen terms that even Lewis Hamilton wasn’t given.
That shows his commitment to signing the best driver on the grid right now, although the three-time world champion might be cautious about joining a team who have shown in the past three seasons that they don’t fully understand these regulations.
The post Report: Max Verstappen set to be offered ‘world record’ contract by Red Bull rivals, meeting planned for Miami appeared first on F1 Oversteer.
