Max Verstappen is dissatisfied with his contract negotiations with Red Bull and plans to terminate if a new agreement is not reached.

MAX BID Mercedes is preparing a world-record £128 million-per-year deal for Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Manchester United’s manager, will play a crucial role in choosing Hamilton’s replacement.

Mercedes could burst the money in a record-breaking agreement to replace Lewis Hamilton with F1 world champion Max Verstappen.

According to sources in Austria, the Formula One team is offering a record £128 million per year to entice the three-time World Champion.

It comes after Red Bull Racing learned that design wizard Adrian Newey is stepping down from his involvement with the team.

SunSport reported on Tuesday that Verstappen’s father, Jos, and his manager, Raymond Vermeulen, are due to meet with the three owners of the Merc F1 team.

This includes squad manager Toto Wolff, Mercedes-Benz CEO Ola Kallenius, and Sir Jim Ratcliffe, an Ineos and Manchester United stakeholder.

The Verstappen camp has made it obvious that they are considering their options following their impressive fallout with team boss Christian Horner.

It comes after an internal investigation where Horner was cleared of allegations of inappropriate behaviour towards a female colleague.

Verstappen’s father said in Bahrain that Horner’s position in control of the team was ripping it apart.

Horner responded that he would not stand in his driver’s way if he wanted to leave, despite having a contract worth over £40 million a year that runs until the end of 2028.

It means that Mercedes however, could be forced to stump up compensation for Verstappen, who is on course to win his fourth straight title this season.

Wolff has made no secret of the fact that he would love to sign Verstappen and is close with the family and they both live in Monaco.

He is desperate to return the team to winning ways but has so far failed to see them muster a challenge.

Verstappen has seen Mercedes produce three duds in succession, leading somewhat to Hamilton’s decision to quit, while Red Bull have delivered him three title-winning cars.

Consequently there is a high degree of risk in making the switch, which Mercedes are hoping to acknowledge with a substantial contract that comes loaded with bonuses.

Verstappen meanwhile has tried to distance himself from the speculation linking him with Mercedes.

However, he is likely to come in for some questioning about his future at this weekend’s Miami Grand Prix.