A huge piece of the 2021 driver market puzzle was slotted into place on day seven of 2020, with Red Bull announcing they had convinced Max Verstappen to sign a contract extension – and a long one at that. But why has he put pen to paper so early?
The 2021 driver merry-go-around looked set to be the most exciting in living memory, with almost all of the grid – including the key protagonists – out of contract at the end of the current campaign. And driver-move chatter looked set to dominate the news agenda.
But Red Bull chief Christian Horner said last year he wouldn’t be surprised if everybody ended up in the same seats. And it’s a prediction that is showing signs of coming true.
First Ferrari announced what many had predicted – a contract extension for Charles Leclerc at the end of last year, keeping the Monegasque at the Scuderia until at least 2024. And now Red Bull have got in early by tying up another of 2019’s race winners in Verstappen (whose deal was set to expire at the end of this year) for another three years, until the end of 2023.
You can see why Red Bull were keen to get things done and dusted quickly. They need Verstappen more than he needs them. Should he have left, Red Bull would have been without an experienced top line driver. Alex Albon isn’t ready to take over the lead driver mantle, while Alpha Tauri’s Daniil Kvyat and Pierre Gasly are unlikely to the be the ones Red Bull turn to either.
The Hamilton-Ferrari link is not a new one but Hamilton had never spoke so candidly about that move. The idea of driving for Ferrari is a tantalising one for any driver but the added prospect of ending the Italian team’s championship drought and, assuming he wins a seventh title before leaving Mercedes, breaking Michael Schumacher’s record in a red car must only add to the appeal of a switch in the final days of his career.
Ferrari has since called the speculation which followed Hamilton’s meetings with Elkann “totally premature” but the mere suggestion of a move leaves Hamilton in a very strong position in his negotiations. It was enough to unsettle the bosses at Red Bull — Helmut Marko told Auto Motor und Sport after Verstappen’s deal was announced he had been concerned about the prospect of the Dutchman ending up at Mercedes.
While Ferrari does have the still-unproven Mick Schumacher waiting in the wings, it is highly unlikely the Italian team would risk dropping him in the deep end for 2021, even if he won this year’s Formula 2 championship. With Max extending his contract with Red Bull, it does look like Sebastian Vettel will be staying at Ferrari beyond the next season. Like Christian Horner has said some weeks ago, it does not look like there will be many changes for 2021.
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