“Common sense” for Mercedes to sign Verstappen and Russell for F1 2022 - Brown

McLaren Racing CEO Zak Brown believes it would be “logical” for Mercedes to sign Max Verstappen and George Russell for the 2022 Formula 1 season.

Mercedes currently has no drivers signed up for next season with Lewis Hamilton only putting pen to paper on a one-year extension in February, while Valtteri Bottas’s deal is also set to expire at the end of 2021.

Speaking in a recent interview with The Daily Mail, Brown suggested that Mercedes should make a move for Red Bull driver Verstappen and promote Russell from Williams next year. He also ruled out offering reigning world champion Lewis Hamilton a swansong return to the Woking outfit.

“I think you will see Max and George there in 2022,” Brown told The Daily Mail. “I think that is the obvious conclusion.

“Lewis wins title No 8 this year and is the winningest driver in every category; they have a one-year deal with him. George is coming out of his deal and Max has a deal he comes out of. 

“You have Max's experience and youth, you have George's youth. If I am Mercedes that is a pretty killer line-up for the next five years.”

Speaking to media in Sakhir ahead of this weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix, Brown insisted his comments were not an attempt to stir things up between McLaren's rivals. 

“That’s my opinion,” he explained. “I have no insight as to whether that’s actually going to happen, but given George’s relationship with Mercedes and he’s out of contract at the end of the year.

“You have Lewis on a one-year contract and Max, who I believe is a free agent at the end of the year. It seems to me that would be the logical choice for Mercedes whether that actually happens or not.

“I’m not trying to stir it, that’s just kind of what looks like would happen to me. I think that would be a common-sense move for Toto to make but I have no insight that that will be what happens.”