Toto Wolff’s saga to sign Max Verstappen with Mercedes continues. The Mercedes CEO has been relentless in trying to get the Dutchman to become Lewis Hamilton’s replacement. Comments have been made in retaliation from Christian Horner’s side. Now, Wolff has expressed how Mercedes will be an attractive offer for Verstappen if he’s able to get out of the Red Bull contract.
“2026 is our main year where lots of things change and I think it could be quite attractive to drive with us. But whether it’s Max [Verstappen] and whether he can get out of his contract, I don’t know”, said Wolff, according to Racefans.net, as he explained how Red Bull is no longer the dominant force it once was.
Toto Wolff: “Horner said that he (Max) will stay. Lets see, we leave him with this idea”
“We’ll see if the W15 will be a car that can convince Max”
“It’s Max who wins the races and not Red Bull. The RB20 is solid, but Perez isn’t doing well”
“Its Max who makes the difference” pic.twitter.com/g5SoEtdk14
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) June 25, 2024
Wolff disclosed that he’s not aware of the clauses in Verstappen’s $55 million a year worth Red Bull contract. But the Austrian said that if a driver isn’t happy then keeping him on a team is difficult irrespective of the clauses.
Amid Wolff’s comments about signing Verstappen, Horner came out during the Austrian GP to suggest that if the Mercedes boss wants a Verstappen then he can have Jos Verstappen instead. The 26-year-old himself suggested a few weeks ago that all that matters to him is having a fast car and Red Bull is providing that.
However, with the way the development curve is going for the top teams, it might not be long before Mercedes overtakes Red Bull. Meanwhile, McLaren arguably already has a better car than what the RB20 currently is. This performance gain is what Wolff is relying on to sign Verstappen.
Wolff relying on Mercedes’ development to sign Verstappen
A couple of months ago Toto Wolff admitted that Mercedes doesn’t have a fast enough car to attract Max Verstappen. However, the Mercedes boss guaranteed that the upcoming updates would make the car quicker and they did. The Silver Arrows arguably have the third-fastest car now.
With James Allison and Wolff promising further upgrades throughout the season, things look positive for Mercedes. George Russell winning a race for Mercedes in Austria will be another boost for the team to push harder. With the performance curve in Mercedes’ favor, Wolff expects Verstappen to join the team on the merit of the Silver Arrows having a better car.
“I’m not relying on that [exit clause in Verstappen’s contract]. I think the most important thing is to look at ourselves. The quick car is always going to track the attention of a quick driver. So that’s our main priority”, said the 52-year-old as he explained how the team is focusing on making the car faster.
With Kimi Antonelli not expected to sign with any other team than Mercedes, Wolff can take his sweet time and wait for Verstappen until the end of the season.
