Why Did Toto Wolff Tell Max Verstappen Not To Sign With Mercedes?
The Formula 1 driver market is notoriously unpredictable, but even so, Toto Wolff advising Max Verstappen against joining Mercedes seemed unusual.
Verstappen, under contract with Red Bull until 2028, has been linked to a potential move away from the team with which he has won three world championships.
Although Verstappen has expressed his commitment to Red Bull, Wolff suggested he should not join Mercedes, at least not yet. “We need two to crash at the front to win at the moment,” Wolff stated ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
He continued, “We still need to look at ourselves and say: ‘What can we do to have a car capable of racing with the leaders more regularly?’ And I think we can be a destination for the best drivers, including Max. But we’re not there yet, so if I were him, I wouldn’t consider such a move. Yet.”
Wolff’s remarks are intriguing for several reasons. Most notably, Mercedes has a vacancy for next season, given Lewis Hamilton’s impending move to Ferrari. Who better to fill that spot than Verstappen, the standout driver of his generation?
It was Verstappen who ended Hamilton’s and Mercedes’ era of dominance, securing his first world title under highly controversial circumstances in Abu Dhabi in 2021. Since then, Red Bull has replaced Mercedes as the team to beat, with Verstappen winning 17 out of 22 races in 2022 and a record 19 races last season, as Red Bull claimed victory in 21 of the 22 races on the calendar.