Why Verstappen, according to F1 expert, should never go to Mercedes
Tom Coronel says he never understood why Max Verstappen considered a switch to Mercedes. However, if another team had made an approach, the driver would have understood if Verstappen had left Red Bull.
Ultimately, Max Verstappen made the decision and the Dutchman decided to represent Red Bull Racing in ’26. Tom Coronel fully understands this, as he told RaceXpress - especially because the interested party was Mercedes.
"As long as Mercedes' customer team, which is McLaren, is leading... And you're going to Mercedes, I don't understand that. You should be driving for McLaren. Then I would understand him one hundred percent. I would blindly say: 'Go ahead, go there'. Because then you simply have a certain guarantee", Coronel said.
Coronel always believed that Verstappen would stay
The driver - an outspoken fan of Max Verstappen - however, also sees Mercedes fluctuating in terms of form; sometimes top, sometimes flop. Mercedes is regularly behind Verstappen's Red Bull. "That's the reason why I've always said: 'He stays with Red Bull. Even if it's a mess, he stays with them'."
Verstappen will not become world champion in ’25, Coronel is also convinced of that. The focus at Red Bull is now fully on next season, when all teams start from scratch following a significant rule change. Coronel thinks that Red Bull will perform better then.
"They've hit rock bottom. They can only grow now," he said.
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