Formula 1: Lewis Hamilton wouldn’t mind having Max Verstappen as his teammate

By Asher Fair | Jul 7, 2019

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - MARCH 14: Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes GP and Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing look on in the Drivers Press Conference during previews ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Australia at Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit on March 14, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images) /

Five-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton has stated that he would not mind if Max Verstappen becomes his teammate at Mercedes.

Ever since Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team manager Helmut Marko stated that there is a performance clause in Max Verstappen’s contract that would allow him to leave the team after the 2019 Formula 1 season if they do not give him a car that is capable of winning the championship, there has been speculation about the 21-year-old Dutchman leaving the Milton Keynes-based team to drive for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport.

Marko further added fuel to this fire by stating that he was concerned over whether or not Verstappen would return to the team given how dominant Mercedes have been to start this season, and Max’s father, Jos, a former Formula 1 driver himself, retweeted an article containing this statement.

Verstappen is currently driving under a three-year contract extension that he signed in October of 2017, so it does not expire until the end of the 2020 season.

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That said, drivers triggering certain clauses in their contracts to leave teams is nothing new; Sebastian Vettel did it to leave Red Bull Racing and join Scuderia Ferrari after the 2014 season ended despite the fact that his contract with the former was not set to expire until the 2015 season reached its conclusion.

If Verstappen does the same thing and joins Mercedes, he would like do so as the replacement for Valtteri Bottas, whose one-year contract extension that he signed last July expires at the end of the 2019 season unless the team pick up the additional one-year option that came with it.

That would make Verstappen the new teammate to five-time (likely six-time by next year) champion Lewis Hamilton, who has not had many issues beating Bottas since Bottas arrived at the team ahead of the 2017 season. Hamilton has won 26 races since this time while Bottas has won five.

However, after the toxic relationship that Hamilton had with former teammate Nico Rosberg, whose retirement following his 2016 championship-winning season allowed Bottas to sign with the Silver Arrows, there has been speculation that Hamilton does not want a teammate who is going to challenge his #1 driver position within the organization.

Verstappen has long been considered a future Formula 1 champion, and he most definitely isn’t going to settle for a #2 driver role no matter where he goes, nor should he. As a result, there were rumors that Hamilton would urge team principal and CEO Toto Wolff not to sign the rising superstar.

However, the 34-year-old Briton begs to differ, as he has stated that he would not mind having Verstappen as his teammate.

Here is what Hamilton had to say about the matter, according to Express.

"“I think the team’s pretty happy with Valtteri and me. So I do know Max is definitely interested in opportunities. I don’t know. Maybe. If there is [a chance], then great.”"

Here is what Hamilton had to say directly to Verstappen about it, according to Express.

"“I don’t mind driving with you. I’ll drive against whoever.”"

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Will Max Verstappen become Lewis Hamilton’s new teammate in the 2020 Formula 1 season? At this point, anything is possible and it is truly anybody’s guess. If it happens, however, how will the two drivers handle the situation?

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