Max Verstappen will equal a Formula One record if he wins the race in front of his home crowd in the Netherlands at Zandvoort on Sunday.
The three-time world champion has won all three starts since the track’s return to the calendar in 2021. A fourth success would see the Red Bull driver join Lewis Hamilton (2014-2017), Jim Clark (1962-1965) and Juan Manuel Fangio (1954-1957).
The question is whether Max will be able to win. He has not finished in first place since the Spanish Grand Prix at the end of June, and in the next 4 races he got on the podium just once with his second place at the legendary Silverstone circuit in Great Britain.
According to the latest rumors, Mercedes have secured a contract with the most desirable young competitor. 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli is in the team’s talent program and currently competes in Formula 2 for Prema. This season he already had the opportunity to drive a Formula 1 car in private tests.
The Dutch newspaper “Telegraph” writes that “Mercedes” abandoned their plans for Verstappen to replace Hamilton, who from next season will be the driver of “Ferrari”. Thus, the next choice for George Russell’s teammate was Antonelli. He turned 18 just before the Italian Grand Prix.
The probability that Max will move to Mercedes remains in 2029, when his contract with Red Bull expires, or after 2026, if, due to changes in the technical rules, the Mercedes car turns out to be better.