Toto Wolff during the press conference in Zandvoort

Toto Wolff reveals the likelihood of Max Verstappen ever driving for Mercedes

18:01, 30 Aug

Updated: 18:06, 30 Aug

byTim Kraaij

Will Max Verstappen ever work together with Toto Wolff at Mercedes? It's a question that persists in the market and one to which Wolff doesn't have an answer either. However, the Austrian believes there is still a good chance of a collaboration.

In recent months, the future of Max Verstappen has been a hot topic. Just like in 2024, there were questions about Verstappen's future, who, despite a contract with Red Bull Racing until 2028, didn't explictly state he was going to stay with the team.

There were talks between Mercedes and Max Verstappen's camp, but joining forces has not yet been realized. However, this doesn't mean that this will never happen. Wolff and Verstappen get along well, so a future collaboration is certainly not excluded.

"Max will have his reasons why he's staying at Red Bull."

- Toto Wolff

"I've known Jos and Max for a long time. The relationship with Jos was always amicable. Same generation, same s*** upbringing. So we always had that. And I met Jos and Max in 2016 (in 2014, ed.), talking about joining Mercedes, and that is what they wanted. But we didn't have a seat, because we had Nico (Rosberg) and we had Lewis (Hamilton)," Wolff said talking to, among others, GPblog.

"What I offered was a free seat in Formula 2, and a guarantee for Formula 1 the following year. And if we weren't able to do Formula 1, then he was free to go. And then Helmut chipped in and obviously gave them the seat."

Toto Wolff on the title fight with Verstappen in 2021

"In a way, we went through the up and downs. 2021 was bad from either side. It got out of control, the emotions take over and you become so obsessed with your own perceptions and perspectives that it's difficult to see the other side. I think that caused a bit of a crisis, but after a while it settled down, and we had the clearing conversation a year later in Singapore with Jos, and since then we've maintained a good relationship."

"So where does it lead us in the future? I'm also a naive loyal person. George (Russell) has been with us since he was 17, he's doing the job, he's delivering, he's outperforming the car in my opinion and then we have Kimi (Antonelli), who is our long-term bet and we just need to give him the time to develop."

"At the same time, Max will have his reasons why he's staying at Red Bull. What he said is he owes them (Red Bull). And it's not the first moment you can walk away when the team doesn't perform beyond the contract. So I think things have fallen in place like they are today. And who knows what happens in the future"

Was there ever a realistic chance that you could bring Verstappen in?

"It was never that one dimension, ‘have we got a shot?’ It was more, 'does that make sense from the Mercedes perspective', 'does that make sense from the Verstappen perspective?' And it never came to the point where you could say, well, ‘we'll give it a shot.’"

Would you feel retrospectively it's a missed opportunity if you never work together?

"We get on so well personally. When you're on the same wavelengths, it just feels easy, and that's what I see in the relationship. The views on racing or on the other things in our lives are very aligned. Could that mean our path will never cross, because the timings are wrong? That can happen. That could be 50%, the other 50% is we are racing together at a certain stage in our careers, if it is right for both sides. "

The text continues under the picture.

jos verstappen and gwen lagrue in discussion

Jos Verstappen in conversation with Gwen Lagrue from Mercedes

Wolff may have to pay Verstappen less in the future

So maybe it's a good thing that Max is staying with Red Bull for now, then you don't have to pay him 100 million next year. You can see which team has the best car.

"It's hopefully us. And then I only need to pay 10%. And that's exactly what I said to Raymond (Vermeulen, Max Verstappen's manager)."

What did Raymond say?

"Raymond said, ‘cheap Austrian.’ And I said, ‘greedy Dutch!’"

If the car is good, maybe you don't even need him?

"I think that for all of the best drivers, money is not the essential factor. The essential objective is to have a car and a team that can make you win world championships. And then comes the debate about the money. And I've always been also the opinion that you need to pay a driver fairly, whatever that means, whoever the benchmark is. So we're always going to find a solution if the stars are aligned. Best team, best drivers: then you find each other."

Want to read more from the interview with Toto Wolff? Then also check out the following story in which the Austrian jokingly talked about a p*rn movie with his face!