Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has confirmed that they’re interested in signing four-time World Champion and Red Bull driver Max Verstappen and pair him with George Russell. Mercedes have been linked with making a move for Verstappen ever since Lewis Hamilton left the team and made the switch to Ferrari.
It had seemed like the plans were being put on hold, but George Russell revealed to Sky Sports recently that his contract negotiations with Mercedes were being delayed as the team was holding talks with Verstappen. When asked about the Russell comments, Wolff said that he is supportive of what his drivers say and at the moment they’re thinking about the future as well. The Mercedes chief, however, admitted that he is happy with the current lineup.
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“I like what George says and I’m always supportive of the driver. There is no such thing as saying things I wouldn’t want him to say. We are very transparent in the team for what we do, what we plan, and we’ve been like that since I was put in charge. That’s not the issue.”
“At the moment, clearly you need to explore what’s happening in the future, but it doesn’t change anything of what I said before about George, about Kimi, about the line-up that I’m extremely happy having,” said Wolff.
When asked if he had given a deadline to Verstappen about his decision, Wolff said that he wants these conversations to remain behind closed doors and not out in the public.
“You make it sound like we have been asking, ‘when do you want to join and what are the terms?’ That’s not how it is and how it works. I want to just have the conversations behind closed doors, not town halls.”
“We have two drivers that have been in our programme a long time, drivers that I’m perfectly happy to have, drivers that will do great in the future of the team. So, it’s a bit different a situation,” said Wolff.
Verstappen has a contract until 2028, but a few clauses in the deal will allow him to exit the team early.
Verstappen and Russell together? Wolff reacts
Verstappen and Russell have had their fair share of run-ins this season and Wolff was asked if he could have both men in the same team. The Mercedes chief said he can imagine every possible lineup and pointed to having both Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in the same team while fighting for the title.
“I can imagine every line-up. I had Rosberg and Hamilton fighting for a world championship, so everything else afterwards is easy.”
“There are pros and cons of having two drivers fighting each other hard.”
“We’ve seen examples where that functions and other examples where it didn’t.”
Verstappen and Russell are currently third and fourth in the F1 Drivers’ standings heading into the Austrian GP.
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