Max Verstappen has ‘a lot of downsides’ and Mercedes should not ditch their current driver line-up to accommodate him, according to Williams team principal James Vowles.
During his own Mercedes days, Vowles was a key figure in Lewis Hamilton’s championship blaze. And now he is backing George Russell and Kimi Antonelli as the pairing best suited to the Silver Arrows’ culture.
And so another day of chatter ahead of the Saudi Arabia Grand Prix, with Red Bull’s champion supreme Verstappen a central figure in it. The Dutchman is calling for improvements at Red Bull but he goes nowhere for now, perhaps for the rest of his career.
But the rumour mill continued unabated. And asked if a Russell/Verstappen team would work, Vowles said: ‘I don’t think so, no.
‘So, can you add a tiny bit more performance? Yes, through Max. I don’t think anyone in the world would deny that he is extraordinary.
‘His victory in Japan a few weeks ago was jaw-dropping. Well done to him but he comes with a lot of downsides that you have to acknowledge.’
Mercedes have been warned against launching a swoop for world champion Max Verstappen
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have enjoyed a good start to the season for the Silver Arrows
Williams boss James Vowles believes it would be a mistake to ditch the line-up for Verstappen
In his previous job as Mercedes’s strategy director, Vowles worked with both Russell and Antonelli.
He added: ‘Mercedes have a great culture with two drivers that are delivering near to the peak of the car. I don’t think there is a place for Max.
‘He and George are very different characters. I am not Toto (Wolff, Mercedes team principal), but I think he has got a really good driver line-up for the future. With Kimi, look at the steps he is making in qualifying, steps he is making every week, and he’s only effectively driven four grands prix.
‘He’s on a good pathway to be very, very competitive, so you keep investing in that.
‘And George is delivering. He’s been a bit quiet, but you can’t really fault anything he’s done this year.’
Russell’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season, as is Antonelli’s, but both the 27-year-old Englishman and the 18-year-old Italian are confident they will be kept on. They have impressed so far, the senior man taking three podiums and the younger showing flashes of his promise.
Verstappen has been linked with a move away from Red Bull and has called for improvements
But Vowles says Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff already has a ‘really good’ pairing
Russell’s contract is currently set to expire at the end of the season, along with Antonelli’s
With Mercedes’ interest in him perhaps cooling, Verstappen was again linked with a move to Aston Martin in a report in Italy on Friday.
‘Noise is exactly the right word to describe it,’ Horner told Sky Sports of the full range of speculation after Verstappen had finished first practice in ninth place, before setting the third best time of the day, three-tenths behind the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri in the second running, under lights.
A footnote, Lewis Hamilton had a tough time of it for Ferrari, only 13th best, more than one second short of the pace, and nearly half-a-second behind fourth-best team-mate Charles Leclerc.
That was before Yuki Tsunoda crashed the second Red Bull, turning in too early at the final corner and catching the hoarding. It gave his team another little shudder.