Max Verstappen has established himself as an all-time great in Formula 1. The three-time world champion has been in a league of his own in recent years and achieved historic success with Red Bull. However, tensions at Milton Keynes threatened the Dutchman’s stay at the Austrian team. Now, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff has claimed that Verstappen needs to join Mercedes at some point in the future.
Previously, Max Verstappen was rumored to be in talks with Mercedes to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton. However, the reigning world champion put an end to these rumors and made it clear he would stay at Red Bull.
Wolff recalled Verstappen’s impressive campaign in Formula 3 a decade ago. The Austrian even had a conversation with the Dutchman’s father Jos Verstappen regarding his future. Unfortunately, Mercedes had no vacant seat in F1 for Max Verstappen in 2015. Subsequently, Toto Wolff offered a fully-funded campaign in F2 for that year.
I’d seen him in Formula 3; he was very good. I have a good relationship with his father, so we sat down in my home in Vienna and said, ‘What can we do?’ I wasn’t able to give him a Formula 1 seat. I said, ‘Let’s do F2 together, fully funded and I guarantee you a seat next year in the car’. Toto Wolff told Fox Sports Australia
However, Max Verstappen had already received a seat from Red Bull at Toro Rosso for 2015. As such, the Dutch driver joined the Red Bull sister team instead of the Mercedes camp. Moreover, Verstappen was promoted to Milton Keynes mid-way through 2016 and the rest is history.
They said, ‘I have an offer from Red Bull for [Toro Rosso] basically from now on’. That was it. I knew that we wouldn’t be able to compete with that. Wolff continued
Toto Wolff claimed that he would like to see his relationship with the Dutchman to come full circle. The 52-year-old reckoned that Verstappen needs to move to Mercedes in the future. However, Wolff did not specify a timeframe.
So, it’s a kind of a relationship that needs to happen at a certain stage, but we don’t know when. Toto Wolff asserted
Toto Wolff opens door for Max Verstappen for 2025
Max Verstappen’s current contract with Red Bull runs till the end of 2028. However, the Dutch driver is rumored to have an exit clause which could allow him to leave for a rival team. Despite Verstappen’s clear stance on continuing his stint at Milton Keynes, Wolff highlighted that Mercedes might be a viable option for the reigning world champion.
Toto Wolff pointed out that Mercedes was the only one of the top three teams which had a vacancy for the upcoming season. The Austrian claimed that the Silver Arrows could be the only place for Verstappen in case the Dutchman decides to leave Milton Keynes at the end of this season.
We have a slot free, the only one in the top teams – unless Max decides he goes. Then the slot is not going to be free with us anymore. Toto Wolff stated
Certainly, Max Verstappen would be the ideal driver for any team in F1. Mercedes could have one of the best lineups on the grid with Verstappen and George Russell. However, so far the three-time world champion has not been willing to leave Red Bull for the foreseeable future.
More must-reads: