Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has played down the possibility of signing Max Verstappen. The Dutchman continues to be heavily linked with a move away from Red Bull, despite his contract with the team not expiring until 2028.
Verstappen reportedly has a number of clauses in his contract with Red Bull which would allow him to head elsewhere ahead of next season, and the uncertainty within his team has led to widespread speculation that he would take that opportunity – especially following Christian Horner’s departure. In order for Verstappen’s exit clauses to become active though, his side would need to struggle for the remainder of the season.
Verstappen would reportedly be free to move if he falls outside of the top three in the standings at any stage of the summer. Reports have also suggested that if Red Bull fall out of the top three in the Constructors’ Championship then he will also be allowed to depart.
Mercedes are among those to be linked with the reigning world champion, with Wolff making it no secret that he is a keen admirer of the 27-year-old. However, the Silver Arrows chief has now played down the idea and instead put his faith in George Russell and Kimi Antonelli. Speaking to ORF, he said: “Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months. So they are all up to date. The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That is the absolute priority.
“But you can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”
With Wolff’s comments in mind, Verstappen looks likely to remain at Red Bull for at least another year – which will be music to the ears of McLaren chief Zak Brown, who said he wanted the Dutch star to remain with the team during an interview on the Sports Agents podcast.
He said: “I think Mercedes is a team on the rise. Red Bull at the moment has challenges; it doesn’t mean that they can’t fix those challenges.
“But Max in a Mercedes is pretty uncomfortable to think about because he’s awesome so I think I’d rather he stay where he is. I think it would be a disaster for Red Bull if they lost Max.”