Although Fernando Alonso has arranged his future with Aston Martin, the Formula 1 driver market has not yet calmed down. Although the Red Bull scandal has quieted down, many people still think Max Verstappen’s place is uncertain. Perhaps this is also the case with Toto Wolff, who now and then sends flattering words to the Dutch driver.
The Mercedes team boss did the same after the Chinese Grand Prix when he spoke about Verstappen’s future. “Many factors play into the arrival of a pilot. If we take the rational point of view, we can say that the fastest car belongs to the fastest driver. But I don’t think that’s the only reason to stay with your team. Perhaps there are depths to this in certain people. I think Max has them too,” said Wolff somewhat suspiciously.
The Austrian emphasized that the goal of his speech was not to convince, because “Max knows motorsport better than anyone else” and he can make the decision that is best for him.
Toto Wolff (Image: Bryn Lennon – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
Basically, it can be stated that these were fine, basically complimentary, and a little bit annoying words from the Mercedes team boss, which in themselves are not necessarily suitable for Verstappen to transfer based on this. However, all this caused a reaction from Christian Horner, Red Bull team boss.
“I will think carefully about what I say to this. Have you talked to Max about this? Because if they talk to Max – and this is not a piece of paper, we know that he has a contract until 2028 – then we talk about how he feels with the team, what kind of relationships he has and how he performs.”
“I don’t think Toto has any problems with the drivers. I think you should focus on other things than drivers who are not available”– said Horner, finally stating the point.
“Mercedes is the third of their engine partners, so I would think he would be better off spending his time focusing on his own team. Have you heard that George Russell’s contract expires at the end of 2025? Maybe he doesn’t want to stay until 2026 – after all, the pilot market is on the move,” the energy drink boss retorted.
Christian Horner and Max Verstappen (Image: Clive Mason – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
The team boss is not only bothered by his rival’s actions, but also by the fact that representatives of the press always find him with these questions. Now, for example, he was also asked if he would be happy if Verstappen made it clear that he had no intention of leaving. “I don’t know how many more times you have to say this. He said it countless times. I’m not even going into it.”
