Brown nuances statements on Verstappen and Russell: 'Was an opinion'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Zak Brown's statement about the driver line-up at Mercedes in 2021, that Max Verstappen and George Russell would drive together, caused quite a stir. Among others, Toto Wolff, Christian Horner and Helmut Marko fell over the statements. The McLaren team boss has nuanced his statements in the meantime.
Verstappen and Russell to Mercedes
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Brown said that he does see the two young drivers driving for Mercedes in 2022. "I think that's the obvious conclusion," he predicted. "You have the experience and youth of Max on one side and the youth of George on the other. If I were Mercedes, it would be a killer line-up for the next five years."
Not a prediction but opinion
On the Formula 1 official website Now, Brown does want to clarify a few things about his statements. "I don't necessarily think it will happen. I was just answering the question of what I think the driver market will look like next year," Brown said. "It wasn't a prediction, it was an opinion."
Yet he insists it is an option. "I think George [Russell] will be available and he obviously has a good relationship with Mercedes," he said. "As for Max [Verstappen], I haven't seen his contract, but I understand he probably has the opportunity to drive elsewhere and Mercedes and Toto [Wolff] are in a position to attract an impressive driver duo to their team. So if those two guys are available, and depending on what Toto decides with his current driver duo, this could happen."