Max on GP: "He told me what kind of offer he received. I said: you would be stupid not to do that. We have already achieved everything together. And then he gets such a great offer, also with his family in mind and the security it would give him. He asked me for a sort of permission and I said that he absolutely had to do it. He really wanted to hear that from me." ❤️🥹
Lewis Hamilton after Qatar: "Max won? Oh shit, I didn't know, I had no idea! Holy shit! Wow! I thought Piastri won... Well, that's exciting! It goes right to the last - to the wire."
"We all know Max does a great job. I think he's got a phenomenal team behind him, there's no denying that the best car really over the last four years, and maybe less so the beginning of this year. But they somehow came back. He's obviously got a great car, but he does an amazing job with it. So fair play to him."
max: “[the car is] designed for me? i don’t think that’s true.”
sky: “we understand that it’s not designed for you, that it’s a very tricky car only you can drive because of your talent and skills.”
The Max to Mercedes chat has always fascinated and confused me. There’s no questioning he’s the best driver in F1, but to make space Mercedes have a quandary.
They’ve invested heavily in George’s career and in preparing him for the shot at the title that 2026 could represent. He’s having probably his best year in F1. And yet Antonelli is the anointed heir, hand picked and personally guided by Toto to be the team’s long term future.
A play for Max means either sacrificing their investment in the present or their future. But beyond that it adds an extra complication in so much as what happens to Verstappen’s teammates. Because things traditionally don’t end well. He’s so good that he doesn’t just dominate, he destroys.
Drop George, and do you risk Kimi’s carefully curated development being derailed by the relentless brilliance of Max? Drop Kimi and you either pause his progression in a reserve role or lose him entirely, and then have to pray George doesn’t go the same way as everyone else lined up with Max.
There’s no question every team on the grid would do anything to secure Max, he’s that good. But Mercedes have always been pragmatic. Always looked long term. Securing Max takes him
away from their rivals, it further unsettles an already shaky Red Bull, but does it play only to the short term, where Mercedes have always looked further ahead?
Of course there’s always the possibility Mercedes drops nobody and all of this talk is politicking within the wider context of contract negotiations that extend beyond Mercedes.
There’s always the possibility that Mercedes have a very difficult decision to make.
Fascinating times.
Mr Nags gets a little emotional, but carries his humour along, as he gatecrashes into the field of play, after last night’s incredible win. 😂
#PlayBold#ನಮ್ಮRCB#IPL2025#RCBvPBKS
Congrats to @LinusTech on the Commuter Backpack launch! Looks great. What an amazing product.
We were in the process of trashing ours, then realized it could be used to farm engagement instead.
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