Lauda: 'Mercedes never entered talks with Verstappen'

Mercedes was linked with a move for Max Verstappen until he signed a new deal but Niki Lauda says they were never in for the Red Bull star.

Published : Dec 22, 2017 00:48 IST

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen.

Niki Lauda has told Red Bull it overpaid on Max Verstappen's new contract as Mercedes never entered negotiations with the Dutchman.

Reports earlier this year claimed that 20-year-old Max Verstappen, one of Formula One's brightest young talents, was in talks over a switch to the constructors' champions.

However, Verstappen signed a bumper new contract with Red Bull through to the end of 2020 in October, with suggestions that links to Mercedes increased the value of his deal.

Lauda, Mercedes' non-executive chairman, denied that an approach was ever made, though.

Speaking to Servus TV , he said: "We never made a proposal to Max. I have a good relationship with (Red Bull advisor) Helmut Marko as we often talk and fly together.

"We talked about Verstappen and I told him that they could have saved a lot of money, since we never entered negotiations with him."

Verstappen finished sixth in this year's drivers' standings, 32 points adrift of team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in fifth and 195 off champion and Mercedes star Lewis Hamilton.

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