Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has publicly revealed his interest in signing Max Verstappen to replace Lewis Hamilton on several occasions. However, since the Dutchman seems unavailable, he believes his academy driver will most likely be his first choice.
Wolff was quoted on X (formerly Twitter) as saying, “At the moment, my first option is Kimi [Antonelli].” Wolff explained that while signing Antonelli has its own risks, he looks at Oscar Piastri’s rise at McLaren to chalk a similar pathway for his own driver.
Toto Wolff talking about the 2nd Merc seat:
️ “At the moment, my first option is Kimi”
“An alternative scenario is ofcourse Verstappen, but atm that doesn’t seem realistic”
“I will continue to observe the market. I am not sure how things will evolve further at Red Bull” pic.twitter.com/eFjyCfCMGG
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) July 27, 2024
That being said, Mercedes has not ruled out the signing of Verstappen. Wolff has admitted that as things stand, signing Verstappen seems like a far-fetched dream but he intends to keep a close eye on how things develop internally at Red Bull.
Wolff keeps doors open for Verstappen after the Hungarian GP incident
The Mercedes team principal is keen on evaluating the driver market situation as the season keeps progressing. Antonelli might be his first choice, but the Austrian is in no hurry to sign the Italian yet. Considering Wolff’s recent remarks, it seems that he is still keen on signing Verstappen.
Wolff said, “Max is, it seems anyway, the strongest driver at the moment. That is why we have always left the door open for him,” per RacingNews365. That being said, the Austrian is still not convinced that Verstappen would be eager to join the Silver Arrows just yet.
Toto Wolff hinted Mercedes won’t commit to a new driver until the possibility of tempting Max Verstappen really is no more.#F1 #Mercedes #MaxVerstappenhttps://t.co/E3eiaLS8lk
— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) July 20, 2024
Wolff also has other options at his disposal. Carlos Sainz, who has been getting the better of Charles Leclerc at Ferrari off late, is still a free agent as far as 2025 is concerned. But apart from Antonelli, Wolff might only be interested in entertaining the three-time world champion, should things go awry at Red Bull again.
