Wolff does not rule out Verstappen coming to Mercedes: "Anything is possible"
F1 News
Max Verstappen is under contract with Red Bull Racing until 2028, although Helmut Marko recently confirmed that the Dutchman could get out of that as soon as the team can no longer give him a competitive car. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff stressed that the car is decisive for the driver's choice. In doing so, he does not rule out Verstappen switching to his team at some point.
There is currently turmoil surrounding the Austrian Formula 1 team. For that reason, Wolff is asked whether there is any chance Verstappen will be competing for his team in 2025 after Lewis Hamilton's departure. "I think the driver will always choose the quickest car, that is fundamentally what it's all about at the moment. Red Bull is the quickest car, so that would, in my opinion, always be the priority," he replied to the likes of GPblog.
Wolff does not rule out Verstappen coming to Mercedes
With his answer, Wolff kept quiet, but after the Bahrain Grand Prix he was seen talking to Jos Verstappen. Does this indicate a reconciliation, after the events at Silverstone 2021 cooled the bond between Mercedes and the Verstappens to below zero? "I have known Jos for 25 years - with ups and downs - and I just congratulated him on his son's achievements. Max drives in a galaxy all his own," the 52-year-old Austrian is quoted by F1-Insider.com.
When asked again whether Verstappen could end up in a Mercedes in 2025, this time he grins meaningfully, even in view of the triple world champion's long-term contract: "Anything is possible," Wolff concludes.
According to Ralf Schumacher, it could just happen. "There is so much turmoil at Red Bull. I could imagine Max Verstappen saying he is going to do something completely different. A team structure is very fragile. If something like that happens at Red Bull, everything falls apart very quickly," said the former F1 driver.