Berger Reveals How Mercedes F1 Lost Rising Star Verstappen

Gerhard Berger unveils how Mercedes F1 missed signing Max Verstappen, with Wolff and Lauda hesitating at a crucial moment.

As Toto Wolff and Niki Lauda considered bringing rising star Max Verstappen to Mercedes, Helmut Marko swooped in to take him.

This revelation came from Gerhard Berger, the former F1 driver and close associate of Red Bull.

He claims Mercedes missed an initial opportunity to have the Dutchman in their academy, ultimately losing out to Red Bull, who secured Verstappen’s entry into F1 with Toro Rosso.

“It was clear that Max was special. One day, I told Niki Lauda: ‘You should take Max Verstappen.’ He replied: ‘Who? Jos’s son? Do you think he’s good?’ I answered: ‘He’s not good; he’s exceptional.’”

“Niki, who was already a consultant at Mercedes, immediately called Toto Wolff: ‘We absolutely need to take Verstappen!’ But Toto responded hesitantly: ‘Why should we? We have Valtteri Bottas and so many good drivers in our academy.’”

“They discussed it for a while, and I know it came up again in the following weeks. Then, nothing happened for a few months when they could have brought him into their academy.”

“Then, as the story goes, Max won F3, and the topic resurfaced with Jos and Max looking for an F1 seat. Helmut Marko stepped in and secured Max with the promise of a quick path to F1.”

Speaking of Lauda, Berger also shared a thought on the Red Bull driver.

“Do you know why he reminds me a bit of Niki Lauda? He’s not the type to be influenced by his surroundings. He’s very analytical.”

“Moreover, he can admit when he’s wrong. An interesting personality.”