Will Max Verstappen ever race for Mercedes in Formula 1? This is what team principal Toto Wolff is quizzed about in his yearly media session with Dutch journalists at Zandvoort – and this time the door looks closed, though Wolff keeps it ever so slightly ajar.
F1’s history could have panned out very differently if Mercedes had beaten Red Bull to secure the youngster’s future back in 2014, as Verstappen kept winning races in Formula 3 as a single-seater rookie, but his sights were firmly set on an immediate world championship debut. That’s something only Red Bull could offer, courtesy of its second outfit.
Since then, Mercedes and Verstappen have always been rivals, but two years ago, Wolff revealed he had held talks with the then-three-time world champion. The Austrian faced the tall order of finding a worthy replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton and had already set his sights on next-generation wunderkind Kimi Antonelli, but he obviously wouldn’t have passed on the opportunity of recruiting Verstappen, had it had the slightest chance of materialising.
It didn’t, but Wolff insisted the door was not closed, when asked by Autosport if a potential move for Verstappen was still in the back of his mind: “Yes, it is. Somehow I have that feeling. But I don’t know when that could be. Whether it’s ’26, whether it’s three years later, I don’t know yet.”
Wolff again sounded out Verstappen one year later, as rookie Antonelli struggled in his maiden season, but the Red Bull racer pledged loyalty anew to the Milton Keynes-based team.
“Could that mean our paths will never cross because the timings are wrong? Well, that can happen,” Wolff pondered at the time. “But that could be 50%. The other 50% is we are racing together at a certain stage in our careers, if it is right for both sides.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Sam Bloxham / LAT Images via Getty Images
But by now, Wolff admits he can’t see Verstappen joining Mercedes anytime soon, after Russell and Antonelli were confirmed in the Silver Arrows for 2027 back in June, while the Dutchman’s new Red Bull deal was announced ahead of his home race – despite Verstappen currently going through his first winless campaign since 2015.
“Pretty early we felt for us that being with George and Kimi was the right decision to continue – for various reasons, but it seems that the driver line-up is just the right positive dynamic,” Wolff commented. “It allows Kimi to grow and for George to bring out his best game because he has a quick, young team-mate.
“Therefore it seemed pretty logical that Max would stay with Red Bull. Better the devil you know – that’s a punchline! – and then wait what happens in two or three years, where contracts open up again and probably his options are not just one team but maybe three or four at a time. And wait who performs the best.”
Asked by Autosport if Mercedes had had any chance at all of hiring Verstappen for 2027, Wolff explained: “Pretty early in the late spring it was clear that we would continue like we do. And we have an open and in a way most transparent relationship as we can have. So the situation, as you say, was very different to what it was last year, where both sides were exploring whether cooperation could happen or not.”
The announcement of Verstappen’s new contract ended speculation over the four-time world champion’s future, after he emerged among drivers as arguably the most critical of F1’s new regulations. Cryptic, throwaway lines about “life” decisions to make fuelled rumours amid his involvement in GT3 racing, but in the end, Red Bull’s superstar decided to keep his F1 career going.
Asked if he was surprised to see Verstappen staying longer in the series, Wolff said: “No. The more regulations mature the more the teams will catch up. And even if Red Bull at the moment is on the back foot it is clear that, give it some time, they will shine.
“They have had strong races this year, others that were not. But I have no doubt that going forward the usual suspects will be again fighting for wins and championships, whether it is Ferrari or McLaren or Red Bull or ourselves. So the decision’s in a way logical one for me.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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