Toto Wolff believes that Mercedes could offer Max Verstappen the same environment the driver enjoys at Red Bull, even the special status that the four-time Formula 1 champion holds within the Austrian team.
During the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, it became clear that the partnership between the Dutchman and the German team would not happen for the time being, as the four-time champion extended his contract with the Milton Keynes-based team through 2030.
Rumors had suggested that Mercedes was approaching Verstappen, although Wolff said there was no basis for it – but he also noted that he would not fear pairing him with Kimi Antonelli.
Speaking about a possible move to the German team, the Austrian executive stressed that Max would not have an environment too different from Red Bull, which was “built around the four-time champion.” “Well, that didn’t happen, so it isn’t the case. But I believe the mindset I described earlier, when a top driver joins a top team, and vice versa, requires that the dynamics work,” he said.
“I would never have any qualms about working with a driver who has spent a long time in another structure or who is seen as difficult,” he clarified.
“All of these things certainly play a role, but I also believe we could have managed the situation differently. Remember Alonso, where he didn’t expect Alonso to be so fast, and then almost broke the team. But I don’t think that would have been the situation that would have been with us,” he continued.
“I think we could have accommodated that. So it was more about, you know, we felt that when it comes to the World Constructors’ Championship and the drivers, we have two hot irons in the fire. And perhaps if it hadn’t worked with one or the other teammate,” he concluded.
