09/10/2024
NEWS STORY
Toto Wolff says his public courting of Max Verstappen, with a view to the Dutchman joining Mercedes, is at an end.
Even before Red Bull's performance took a dip, it was claimed that the three-time world champion was pondering an alternate berth in the wake of the Horner saga.
While Helmut Marko and Jos Verstappen ensured the pot was constantly stirred, Wolff made his move, and wasn't afraid to let everyone know of his interest in the Red Bull driver.
However, with his 2025 line-up settled, the Austrian claims that his flirting days with the Dutchman, who as a junior slipped through his finger, is at an end.
"We're sitting back," he tells Motorsport.com. "I think I've expressed it before, and we have a similar view also from Max's side, you've got to put faith in your drivers or in your team.
"You need to give it the maximum support you can to make it a success," he adds. "And only if things go really wrong, you will consider other opportunities."
Amidst the seeming exodus at Red Bull, Christian Horner didn't miss the opportunity to ruffle Wolff's fur a few weeks back when he suggested (out of contract) George Russell as a potential driver in 2026.
Married to former racer, Susie Stoddard, who now runs the F1 Academy, Wolff compares managing driver line-ups to maintaining a successful relationship.
"It's like flirting outside while you're making your relationship work," he says. "It doesn't work, I'm not flirting outside. Only if I want to have a change, or consider a change, I would seek a conversation. And it is the same on its side. We're pretty aligned in our values on that I think."
As for Russell, he says: "George has a similar trajectory in terms of karting and junior formula, and George was the first Mercedes junior that joined us. He's still our Mercedes driver.
"We don't make a big difference," he adds, referring to soon-to-be teammate Kimi Antonelli. "Emotionally, we give them the same support. Nothing changes."
Wolff is confident that having been teammate to seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, Russell will not feel threatened by his new teammate.
"Every top driver in F1 knows that he needs to compete against their team-mate, whether he's young or old," says the Austrian. "George's team-mate has been Lewis Hamilton, the greatest driver of all time, for three years.
"So he will be just fine competing against one of the youngest, who comes in with great expectations."