Multiple rumors have linked Max Verstappen away from Red Bull over the last few weeks. According to those rumors, Verstappen’s possible destination is Mercedes, and Toto Wolff will not think twice before signing up the brilliant Dutchman. However, Wolff has a huge problem to solve first, and that needs to be fixed before he can think of landing the reigning world champion at Brackley.
According to Junaid Samodien on X, Wolff said to Pit Debrief when asked about Verstappen’s possible team switch, “I’d love to have him [laughs]. But first, we need to sort out our car.”
The W-15 is no match for Red Bull’s mighty RB20 at the moment. Despite making considerable progress during the winter break, the Silver Arrows have a long road ahead. The first two races of the season suggested that they are still miles away from the Austrian team and have quite some issues that need fixing. The W-15 is suffering from pace issues in the high-speed corners. This comes amidst the simulator’s positive data, which is far from real-world performance on track.
Speaking about this, Wolff, who owes a better car to the drivers said to Motorsport, “There is something which we don’t understand. We are quick everywhere else pretty much. We know that we have a smaller rear wing, we’re compensating what we’re losing through the corners. But it’s just at high speed where we’re losing all the lap time.”
If Wolff fancies bringing Verstappen to Brackley to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, improving the car is the only way to go. Given the current scenario, only Verstappen has the marketability and statistical power to match the seven-time world champion.
Can Mercedes and Max Verstappen co-exist?
Only if Mercedes were a bit more serious and Helmut Marko did not intervene, Max Verstappen might have been a Mercedes driver now. However, in the coming years this might be a possibility if the Brackley-based team manages to lure the Dutchman away from Red Bull.
Dominance is never constant in F1. Red Bull dominated the years leading up to turbo-hybrid era, followed by Mercedes dominating the latter. The pedestal belongs to Red Bull again, but after the regulations change again in 2026, Mercedes can reach the top again.
With Mercedes becoming a winning team, Verstappen could very well choose to drive for them. Additionally, behind-the-scenes politics in Red Bull are not helping Verstappen’s motivation. In particular, the move to push Helmut Marko out of the team did not sit well with Verstappen.
Toto Wolff for one, is ready to have Marko on board, so Verstappen could very well follow suit. These moves, however, seem very far-fetched, as Verstappen is currently in the midst of a title defense campaign at Red Bull.
