Toto Wolff has hinted that Mercedes have dropped interest in Max Verstappen as rumours over a potential move continue to swirl
Red Bull have struggled to provide Verstappen with a package that can challenge for the World Championship this season, leading to renewed reports he could be enticed to head elsewhere.
Mercedes has been considered as a new challenge for the Dutchman should he ever leave the Milton Keynes-based team, due to Wolff’s interest in his talents dating back to 2014.
However, George Russell is now expected to sign a contract extension amid an outstanding start to the season, having finished on the podium in four out of the opening six races.
Toto Wolff has no intentions of signing Max Verstappen
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Meanwhile, Mercedes newcomer, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, 18, has shown great talent alongside the Briton since the start of the season, becoming the youngest pole-sitter in any format at the Miami GP.
Wolff reinforced that he is committed to the team’s current driver pairing as the eight-time constructors champions aim to add to their trophy cabinet when the regulations change in 2026.
“George is part of the Mercedes family and has always been,” Wolff told media in Miami.
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“As I see things today, why break a team that is on a trajectory I see as positive?”
Since Lewis Hamilton made his shock move to Ferrari, Russell has had to adapt to being recognised as the team leader, a transition that Wolff complimented him on
“I think it becomes so obvious, when a seven-time World Champion leaves the team which he was with for 12 years, George, who like everyone has always been a little bit in the shadow of Lewis, is now the one giving direction,” he explained.
“He’s the one you can rely on when it’s ‘George, where’s the pace of the car?’ And that is important. That is what we do.”
Max Verstappen has struggled this season with the performance of his Red Bull
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After praising the Brit, he went on to talk about the difference of having Antonelli in comparison to Hamilton, and if that had changed the team dynamic a lot
“No, I wouldn’t say so. Lewis was part of the family," he added.
“As a racing driver, he knew exactly what he wanted and the engineers and mechanics knew him. He knew them. We got along.
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“You have good days, bad days, strengths and weaknesses. But when you know someone that well, it’s easy to manage that.
“Now the dynamic is different. George has massively stepped up as a senior driver in the team. Kimi is almost like the young brother that’s come in.
“They work well together, which is very pleasing to see.
Kimi Antonelli became the youngest pole sitter in any format at the Miami GP
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“Kimi doesn’t stress too much, he’s just building up constantly. And on George, you can rely on him when it comes to lap times and racing. So spirits are high.”
The Mercedes duo will be back on track this Friday for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.
Verstappen will also be hoping to win the event, with the Red Bull star eager to secure the F1 title for the fifth year in a row.
