Toto Wolff, director of the Mercedes team, admits to having good relations with the Verstappen family. According to the Austrian only “God knows” if one day the Dutch driver will join Mercedes.
This season was marked by the renewed performance of McLaren and Ferrari, but also by transfer rumors. The announcement of Lewis Hamilton's departure from Mercedes to Ferrari freed up a valuable place in a team accustomed to sailing at the head of the pack. Subsequently, intense rumors linked Max Verstappen to a possible departure from Red Bull, well before the end of his contract with the Austrian firm.
Mercedes and Toto Wolff have not hidden their interest in the three-time World Champion driver. Especially since Max Verstappen almost started in F1 with the star brand, before jumping into the Toro Rosso seat in 2015.
“We get along very well, not always in the public eye ” Wolff said of Max on the High Performance Podcast. “I know Jos [Verstappen, le père de Max] for a long time. He's my age, we have similar views on racing.”
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“And I wouldn't want the year 2021 to cast a shadow on the personal relationships we have. It was hard enough that year, but the relationships are intact. God knows what will happen in the future.”
Toto Wolff may not have drawn a definitive line on the Verstappen track, but opted for Kimi Antonelli. Next season, the rookie will therefore start in F1, at Mercedes, alongside George Russell.
“It is natural now to move towards the next generation ”, he explained. “Max is a great driver and an interesting personality, and God knows what will happen in the future, but having Kimi and George in the car, real Mercedes juniors who have proven themselves at every stage of their careers and we have supported, I am very excited to be in this situation”, concluded the team director.
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