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Bottas on Verstappen and Mercedes: 'Max didn't burn any bridges, mind you'
Max Verstappen at Mercedes? Valtteri Bottas - who competed for the German racing team between 2017 and 2021 - doesn't know why it couldn't happen. He probably does not consider the move, but the Alfa Romeo Racing driver does not think Verstappen has made himself impossible at Mercedes because of past incidents.
Verstappen (together with Red Bull) and Mercedes have clashed more than once in recent years. Mudslinging were made back and forth through the seasons, but in 2024 everything suddenly seems different. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has moderated his tone quite a bit and even seems to have tentatively started a charm offensive to bring the three-time world champion to Brackley.
On the other hand, Verstappen is not ruling out a switch to Mercedes either, where it was actually thought impossible this season. It has everything to do with the unrest within Red Bull where the Verstappen camp along with Helmut Marko seem to be diametrically opposed to Christian Horner.
Bottas over Verstappen
Valtteri Bottas was asked in Australia by PlanetF1 and others about a possible move by Verstappen to Mercedes. "I personally wouldn’t see why he would like to leave Red Bull”, considering their RB20 is “clearly the fastest car on the grid”, he does not believe that would necessarily make a Verstappen to Mercedes move bizarre, said the Finn.
Should it still come to that Verstappen wants to end the Red Bull era, previous negative comments from the Dutchman would not become an obstacle in Bottas' view. “That’s F1, that’s normal. There are always rivalries but I don’t think he has burned any bridges anywhere and I think any team would like him. I don’t think so because in the end, it’s racing, it is tough competition."