Vaulz does not believe that Verstappen can move to Mercedes

      The scenario in which Max Verstappen may part ways with Red Bull Racing at the end of this season haunts the press, although the Dutch driver himself treats these rumors with some irony: "Many people are talking about my future, except for myself."

      It is clear that he will not share any specific information ahead of time, so different versions will inevitably appear in the future. According to one of them, the four-time world champion is negotiating with Mercedes, but James Vowles, the head of Williams Racing, does not believe in it.

      He has worked for a long time in the Stuttgart factory team, knows it very well and believes that there is no point in trying to make Verstappen George Russell's new team-mate.

      "I don't think that's going to happen, because, in my opinion, they are very different people in character," Racer quotes Vaulz. – I must emphasize that I am not Toto Wolff, but I believe that the team has a very promising line-up due to the fact that Kimi Antonelli plays for it.

      Yes, I can't judge impartially, because I've worked with Kimi for a long time, but pay attention to his progress in qualifying – literally every week he manages to take another step forward, even though he has only held four Grands Prix. He's clearly on his way to becoming a very good racer, and we need to keep investing in him.

      And George is performing very effectively now. I mean, he's pretty quiet, but you won't see any mistakes at all in his work.

      Can the team improve? Yes, if you invite Max, you can achieve better results. Hardly anyone would deny that he is an exceptional racer. I was just amazed by his performance in Japan, and he deserves all the credit. But we must also admit that if you invite him, then this option will have a lot of disadvantages.

      I think Mercedes has its own wonderful culture, with two drivers behind the team who manage to get almost everything out of the car, and one of them is progressing and will only get better. That's why I personally think there's no place for Verstappen in this team."

      However, the Mercedes option is far from the only one that is being discussed in the paddock: Aston Martin is also mentioned in this context, and more recently Alpine. It all started after Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen's manager, was spotted chatting with Oliver Oakes, the head of Renault's factory team.