“Max is not an option for Mercedes”- Toto Wolff on Max Verstappen pairing up with Lewis Hamilton

“Max is not an option for Mercedes”- Toto Wolff on Max Verstappen speculations with Mercedes as he wants to avoid another toxic environment.

Ever since Max Verstappen has risen to prominence while driving with Red  Bull, the Dutch driver has been linked with Mercedes to further fortify the Formula 1 champions’ lineup.

Meanwhile, Red Bull not being able to overlap the hegemony of Mercedes would also lure Verstappen to shift his trade over to Mercedes. However, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has clearly rejected this possibility.

“Max is not an option for Mercedes,” he told broadcaster ORF. “We will never understand exactly what happened in the relationship between Nico and Lewis at the time. It goes back a long time, precisely to their karting days and junior classes.

“We have seen how their friendship turned into rivalry and then hostility. That dynamic between them was very difficult to understand. It started when I joined the team in 2013 and it got worse and worse from there.”

Hamilton and Rosberg shared one intense rivalry that eventually came back to bite Mercedes, with both drivers constantly getting engaged in heated arguments after several races.

Therefore, Wolff has that is why snubbed Verstappen’s move to Formula 1 as the team management wants to avoid a similar situation in future, as Verstappen is of a similar competitive breed.

“It was a very difficult situation to deal with,” he added. “During team meetings, there was very negative energy in the air. At some point, it was no longer acceptable and we talked about it. But the hostility among the pilots remained.

“Max’s presence would create an unnecessary ‘star wars. Fortunately, with Valtteri, all this has not been proposed.” he concluded.

Many wish to watch this pair

Even though Wolff has a rational argument against appointing Verstappen as the second driver in the team, there are still many who wish to see the partnership of both drivers.

In the current state of the paddock, only Verstappen comes close to the calibre of Hamilton, and it has been argued by many that if both are given cars of same capabilities, then the level of racing would be incredible.

But in the right state of mind, Mercedes wouldn’t risk the stability Valtteri Bottas gives to the team. He doesn’t challenge the status quo and gathers the required points expected from him. Hence, giving a stable partnership to dominate the paddock.

About the author

Tanish Chachra

Tanish Chachra is the Motorsport editor at The SportsRush. He saw his first race when F1 visited India in 2011, and since then, his romance with the sport has been seasonal until he took up this role in 2020. Reigniting F1's coverage on this site, Tanish has fallen in love with the sport all over again. He loves Kimi Raikkonen and sees a future world champion in Oscar Piastri. Away from us, he loves to snuggle inside his books.

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