After having played three quarters of the season, Formula 1 is taking a three-week break. Before competing in the United States Grand Prix on October 20, Toto Wolff, the director of Mercedes, was questioned about his team’s interest in Max Verstappen and admitted to having stopped flirting with the three-time world champion.
The legendary pilot of Mercedes, Lewis Hamiltonwill leave the German team at the end of the season to join Ferrari. Mercedes had to find a new pilot and the name of Max Verstappen came back regularly. But it will ultimately be Kimi Antonelli who will take over from Lewis Hamilton.
“Verstappen? I don’t flirt outside.”
In comments reported by Motorsport, Toto Wolff evokes the interest of Mercedes pour Max Verstappen : « We stay behind. I think I’ve said it before, and we share the same view on Max’s side: you have to trust your drivers or your team. You need to give them as much support as possible for them to succeed. And only if things go really bad will you consider other opportunities. To me, it’s like flirting on the outside while you make your relationship work. It doesn’t work, I don’t flirt outside. »
Wolff counts on Russell and Antonelli
« Only if I want to change or consider change will I seek to have a conversationcontinues the director of Mercedes. And it’s the same thing on his side. George has a similar trajectory in terms of karting and junior formula, and George was the first Mercedes junior to join us. He is still our Mercedes driver. We don’t make a big difference [entre lui et Antonelli]. On an emotional level, we give them the same support. Nothing changes. Every great F1 driver knows that they have to compete against their teammate, whether they are young or old. George has had Lewis Hamilton, the greatest driver of all time, as a teammate for three years. He will therefore be perfectly comfortable facing one of the youngest, who arrives with high expectations. »
