Wolff on Verstappen: 'Optimistic that one day our paths will cross'
F1 News
- Corwin Kunst
Toto Wolff is still not giving up hope for Max Verstappen. Not a week goes by without the Mercedes team principal being asked about the Dutchman as Lewis Hamilton's replacement, but the realistic Austrian keeps giving the same answer over and over again: we will have to become a lot more competitive first. He is, however, "optimistic" that one day a partnership with Verstappen will come to fruition.
"Max is not going to get in a car that is not competitive and at the moment we are not competitive enough to lure a world champion" Wolff referred to news agency PA about choosing a replacement for Lewis Hamilton.
Speaking to Viaplay the 52-year-old Austrian made similar statements. "Competing for a podium or for wins, certainly that would make our pitch a little bit easier. But I completely understand and I said that in the media that if I was Max, if the car continues to perform like it is, then he has maybe easier time to win a championship next year [at his current team]."
At the same time, the Mercedes team principal maintains that a team like McLaren has made progress over the past 12 months. Not just in the past year, but in recent years. "Having said that, you can see now how McLaren has come up. So yes, I'm optimistic. Maybe one day our paths will cross and it will be very successful. And until then, we just have to work on our car and concentrate on our team's performance."