Quote Originally Posted by airshifter View Post
Ralf Schumacher has claimed now that Max was offered a ride at Merc, and that is what caused the delay with the Hamilton contract extension.

I would laugh even harder if crazier things haven't happened in Formula 1.
Schumacher has a theory on Hamilton signing a new deal for his current team though and believes they really wanted Verstappen.

"For me, [Hamilton's] contract extension fundamentally means that Max [Verstappen] rejected Mercedes," Schumacher said in an interview with 'Sport Bild'.

"I believe that Mercedes had placed all their hopes on signing Verstappen, with the aim of completely securing his future.

"That idea wasn't possible, and in my opinion, Lewis [Hamilton] was the only alternative."
odd, he says he has a theory but doesn't say if he actually had any knowledge? Who does Ralph align with? Is more friends with Mercedes or with Verstappen dad? Seem like there is an agenda here to stir the pot, but not sure from what direction.