Mercedes F1 team principal Toto Wolff has refrained from offering a definitive answer on whether he still wants to sign Max Verstappen,
following the Dutch driver’s heated clash with teammate George Russell. The rivalry between Verstappen and Russell escalated after a
dramatic exchange of words following the Qatar Grand Prix, where Verstappen was penalized for an incident during qualifying. Verstappen
publicly stated that he had “lost all respect” for Russell, blaming him for the penalty. In response, Russell accused Verstappen of threatening to
deliberately crash into him and even “put my f*****g head in the wall.” While Verstappen denied these claims, branding Russell a liar, the
dispute seemed to have cooled in the days leading up to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, with signs of a potential reconciliation between the two.
Wolff, who attended Russell’s media briefing in Abu Dhabi, appeared to offer his support to the British driver. However, when asked by Crash.net
if the altercation had influenced his stance on signing Verstappen, Wolff was cautious in his response. “George put the line in the sand,” he
said, adding, “There is a relationship between two drivers that needs to stay between the two of them and for them to manage. As a team
principal, I don’t think I should get involved.” This latest drama has raised questions about Mercedes’ future driver line-up, especially after
earlier reports linked Verstappen with a potential move to the Silver Arrows. However, Mercedes has instead opted to promote young talent
Andrea Kimi Antonelli to a 2025 seat, indicating that the team is already planning for the future without Verstappen.
Wolff also reflected on Mercedes’ longstanding relationship with Lewis Hamilton, who is set to leave the team after the 2024 season to join
Ferrari. Hamilton’s final race for Mercedes saw him recover from 16th to finish 4th, ahead of Russell. Wolff paid tribute to the enduring
partnership between the team and the seven-time world champion, calling it “the longest driver-team relationship this sport has ever
seen.” He added, “It’s one of the longest relationships that any sport has seen. Personally, that creates attachment, trust, and those values
in this day and age are rare, and that’s why we hold him close to our hearts.” Despite Hamilton’s departure, Wolff expressed a desire to maintain
a strong relationship with the British driver. “We’re going to work hard at maintaining the relationship,” he said. “Fierce competition on the
track, but if the individuals want the relationship to continue beyond competition, we will do so. We still play our sports sessions, where we are
both so competitive, try to beat each other, ride a bike [motorbike].” As Mercedes moves forward, the future of their driver line-up remains
uncertain, with Wolff’s careful handling of recent tensions signaling the complexities of managing top-tier talent in the sport.