While Lewis Hamilton had announced, even before the start of the season, his departure from Mercedes for Ferrari in 2025, Toto Wolff had indicated that he had opened discussions with the Verstappen clan with a view to next season. Discussions began while the Red Bull team was at the same time experiencing internal tensions, after accusations against Christian Horner of inappropriate behavior towards one of its employees.
As Red Bull’s performance declined, the hypothesis of Max Verstappen leaving for Mercedes took shape, before the trend was reversed and Kimi Antonelli was finally confirmed for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza in alongside George Russell for the 2025 season.
The performances observed by the young Italian during private tests have convinced Mercedes to start him next year, with the team’s leaders also insisting on their desire to build a long-term collaboration with Antonelli, who is only 18 years old. . While his driver duo is now confirmed for 2025, Toto Wolff has indicated that he has abandoned the Verstappen track, as well as discussions with the Dutch driver.
“I think I’ve expressed it before, and we have a similar point of view also on Max’s side, you have to trust your drivers or your team,” Wolff declared to Motorsport.com. “We need to give them as much support as possible so that they succeed. And only if things go really bad will we consider other opportunities.”
“For me, it’s like flirting on the outside while you’re in a committed relationship. It doesn’t work, I don’t flirt on the outside. It’s only if I want to change, or consider a change, that I will seek to have a conversation And it’s the same thing. [du côté de Verstappen]. We’re pretty close in our values on that, I think.”
Toto Wolff now wants his confirmed drivers for 2025, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and George Russell.
Photo de: Mercedes AMG
Meanwhile, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner suggested that George Russell could be a candidate for a Red Bull drive in the near future, as the Briton’s contract with Mercedes expires at the end of the season. season 2025. But Wolff dismissed this possibility by insisting that Russell was part of the long-term plan established by his team, which sees the latter now taking Mercedes with a new leadership role alongside his young teammate.
“George has a similar trajectory [à Antonelli] in terms of karting and junior formula, and George was the first Mercedes junior to join us”, added the Austrian leader. “He is still our Mercedes driver. We don’t make a big difference [entre lui et Antonelli]. On a human level, we provide them with the same support. Nothing changes.”
“Every great F1 driver knows they have to compete against their teammate, whether young or old. George has had Lewis Hamilton, the greatest driver of all time, as his teammate for three years, so he will be perfectly suited to comfortable facing one of the youngest, who arrives with high expectations.”
