England’s Milton Keynes Max Verstappen, the reigning Formula One world champion, thinks Lewis Hamilton’s final season with Mercedes will be awkward following his title rival’s shocking switch to Ferrari in 2025.
After revealing that he would be racing for Ferrari next year after having won six of his seven world championships with Mercedes, the 39-year-old stunned the racing community.
In his first public appearance since the announcement of his abrupt transfer, Hamilton stated on Wednesday that he was committed to returning Mercedes “back to where we once were.” Hamilton hasn’t won in the previous two years.
However, Verstappen noted that would be easier said than done now that it was known Hamilton would be leaving the Silver Arrows for the red of Ferrari during Red Bull’s car launch on Thursday.
The Dutchman even hinted that Hamilton would not be allowed to attend certain Mercedes team meetings in 2024 since he was bound to sign a contract with a rival team. The Dutchman won 19 of the 22 races in the previous season as he stormed to a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship.
At Red Bull’s factory in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, Verstappen said on Thursday, “I would say it’s a little bit awkward for the rest of the year.”
They are not suddenly adversaries. With them, he has accomplished so much wonderful stuff. They continue to support him, and he undoubtedly gets along well with everyone, particularly Toto (Wolff), the principal of the Mercedes team.”
“But at one point, Toto will definitely tell him, ‘Look, I know we’ve had all this success, but you can’t be part of certain meetings any more,'” the 26-year-old clarified.
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