New Delhi, Aug 29
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has disclosed that he has maintained an "open communication channel" with Max Verstappen, hinting at the possibility of the Dutch driver joining the Silver Arrows in the future. Although Wolff has admitted that securing Verstappen for the 2024 season was always a "long shot," the talks between the two have sparked intrigue within the Formula 1 community.
Wolff confirmed that discussions with Verstappen and his management team had taken place earlier this year. These talks occurred against the backdrop of internal turmoil at Red Bull, following allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour made against team principal Christian Horner by a female employee.
Although Horner was eventually cleared by two internal investigations, the situation led to a moment of uncertainty within the Red Bull camp.
"Red Bull was the dominant car at the beginning of the season," Wolff told BBC Sport. "And that changed a bit. It's Max Verstappen dominant at the moment. And the relationships were dysfunctional. I'm not sure they are back in a great place, but it is what it is. There was a moment, or there was an opportunity, to at least have conversations of what it could be in the future, and this is what we did."
Despite Verstappen being under contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028, Wolff took the initiative to explore the possibility of bringing the three-time world champion to Mercedes.
The approach was bold, especially given Verstappen's long-term commitment to Red Bull and the complex dynamics within his team. Verstappen's father, Jos, who plays a significant role in managing his son's career, remains at odds with Horner, adding another layer of complexity to the situation.
At the Dutch Grand Prix last weekend, Verstappen himself acknowledged the open dialogue with Wolff, stating, "I get on very well with Toto - he's very open about what's happening within his team." Verstappen also emphasised that there was "nothing wrong" with Wolff publicly discussing his interest in potentially signing him.
While Wolff has conceded that signing Verstappen for 2026 or beyond is "much too early" to discuss, he remains open to revisiting the conversation in the future. "For the benefit of our drivers next year, I don't want to have any conversation about 2026 or beyond, because we very much hope that the 2025 line-up will be the line-up going forward," Wolff stated.
However, he added, "We have not given each other any, let's say, timings. It is more like, keep the communication channel open, while knowing that his priority is to make it function with Red Bull and our priority will be to make it function with the two drivers we have."