Credits: IMAGO PanoramiC, IMAGO Eibner
Max Verstappen has time and again reiterated that he is keen to serve the full duration of his Red Bull contract that ends at the end of the 2028 season. However, that seems to make little difference to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff. The Austrian has made it no secret that he is desperate to sign the Dutchman. As Wolff continues his pursuit of convincing Verstappen to join Mercedes, the 26-year-old seems unmoved.
When asked during the Austrian Grand Prix presser if he may leave Red Bull if they no longer have the quickest car, Verstappen replied, “I don’t think that’s how Formula 1 works where suddenly you can say, ‘well bye guys.’ That’s not how it works. I have a long contract with the team and I’m very happy with where I’m at“.
The Dutchman then further added, “I guess that should say enough of where I’m driving next year“. Verstappen’s last line seems to indicate that he will definitely drive for Red Bull in 2025.
This is unlikely to be good news for Wolff, who is still on the lookout for a replacement for Lewis Hamilton. Soon after the Briton announced that he would join Ferrari in 2025, reports of internal turmoil emerged at Red Bull because of the Christian Horner “inappropriate behavior” saga.
With Red Bull confirming they were investigating Horner for the same, Verstappen gave an interview, where he suggested that he could leave the team if the internal turmoil got out of hand. It were these remarks from Verstappen that gave Wolff an inkling that he perhaps had the opportunity to lure the three-time champion to Mercedes.
Toto Wolff has made all sorts of attempts to convince Max Verstappen
From offering to perform handstands to praising Verstappen week in and week out this year, Wolff seems to have done everything in his potential to convince the Dutchman to snub Red Bull and join Mercedes. Verstappen too has recognized Wolff’s tactics of persuading him.
When asked to comment on the amount of praise he had been receiving from Wolff earlier this year, the 26-year-old said, “Lately Toto has been really nice. Saying lots of nice things about me“! Although Wolff has made it no secret that he wants Verstappen to join his side, he claimed that he has not held any talks with the Red Bull driver recently.
When asked about the same, the 52-year-old replied (as quoted by express.co.uk), “No, there’s no talks taking place at that stage because I think we need to look at ourselves and on improving the car“. With it seeming unlikely that Verstappen will join Mercedes, Wolff may have no option but to replace Lewis Hamilton with Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
Although Wolff has had the highest praises for Antonelli, he is hesitant to offer the 17-year-old a seat in F1 this early into his career. The one thing that could make Wolff’s decision easier is if Carlos Sainz decides to join Mercedes after leaving Ferrari at the end of this season.
