Mercedes are planning to offer Max Verstappen a record-breaking salary that would pay Lewis Hamilton’s wages at Ferrari several times over, according to reports. The Silver Arrows are thought to be weighing up an ambitious move for Verstappen, who continues to be linked with a surprise Red Bull exit.
The news that Adrian Newey wants to leave Red Bull has cast fresh doubt over Verstappen’s long-term future with the reigning champions. He remains tied down until the end of 2028 but it has been reported that he could seek an early exit if Red Bull fail to bring their internal struggles under control.
Mercedes are known to be huge admirers of Verstappen and would reportedly be willing to break the bank in exchange for his signature. According to OE24, they are preparing a world-record offer that would see the Dutchman receive a salary of around £128million per season.
This figure would more than double Verstappen’s existing salary at Red Bull, making him the highest-paid driver in F1 history by some distance. It would also see the 26-year-old earn nearly three times as much as Hamilton, who is set to be paid a base salary of £43.6m per season at Ferrari.
The report adds that Mercedes would also try and tempt Helmut Marko into joining their ranks in a bid to help Verstappen feel more comfortable. The latter is widely reported to have a clause in his Red Bull contract that would allow him to leave before 2028 if Marko departs.
A meeting between Mercedes and Verstappen has reportedly been pencilled in for the Miami Grand Prix, which will take place this weekend. It remains to be seen if the Silver Arrows will succeed in poaching Verstappen from Red Bull, with Toto Wolff having made no secret of his interest in doing so.
The Mercedes team principal has openly flirted with the idea of signing Verstappen in recent weeks, saying earlier this month: “There’s so many factors that play a role for a driver joining. Clearly, when you look at it from the most rational point of view, you can say: ‘Well, that’s the quickest car in the hands of the quickest driver’.
“But I don’t think that this is the only reason you stay where you are. I think, let’s say, for simple minds that might be the only reason why you stay in a car and that’s it. Maybe there is more depth to other people who consider other factors too and I think Max has depth.
“In that respect are we going to convince him? I don’t think it’s a matter of convincing. I think Max knows motor racing better than anyone and he will take decisions that he feels are good for him and I think a few factors play a role but he’s the one that’s going to trigger some more domino stones to fall afterwards.
“Everybody’s waiting for what he’s going to be doing. If I was Max, I would stay at Red Bull for 2025, but I’m not Max. It is the quickest car, but there are other factors.”
