Max Verstappen, Mercedes F1 Had Talks Ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s Exit, Wolff Says
Mercedes CEO Toto Wolff confirmed he held talks with Max Verstappen this summer as Lewis Hamilton prepares to leave the team following the 2024 season, Jake Boxall-Legge and Ronald Vording reported for Motorsport.com.
“I thought all through the year that there was a window or that there was a possibility. It wasn’t zero,” Wolff said about the possibility of signing Verstappen, per Boxall-Legge and Vording.
Wolff continued: “What were the odds of of that happening? Maybe there were 10 to 1. Nine to one. Still, I didn’t want to give up, but then we together came to the conclusion over the summer that we shouldn’t be waiting for something to happen before committing for 2025, but let’s just continue our job, Max at Red Bull and here at Mercedes taking our own driver decisions. And that was a kind of joint thought.”
Hamilton, who signed with Mercedes in 2013, announced in February that he would be leaving for Ferrari after triggering a break clause in his contract.
Verstappen is currently signed with Red Bull through 2028, but reported tensions on the team led to rumors he might be considering leaving. In March Wolff said he would “love” for Verstappen to join Mercedes, per ESPN’s Laurence Edmondson.
However, Verstappen has limited break clauses that would allow him get out of his contract. One closed when team director Helmut Marko committed to stay at Red Bull through 2026, Jonathan Noble previously reported for Motorsport.com.
Verstappen confirmed in June that he would be staying with Red Bull for 2025, but Wolff says he has not given up on eventually adding the three-time world champion to Mercedes’ lineup.
“Somehow I have that feeling [that Mercedes and Verstappen’s paths will cross],” Wolff said, per Boxall-Legge and Vording. “But I don’t know when that could be. Whether it’s ’26, whether it’s three years later, I don’t know yet.”
With Verstappen and Hamilton out of the picture, Mercedes could now turn to young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, whom Wolff previously referred to as the team’s “first option” to replace Hamilton. Antonelli, who turns 18 on Sunday, is set to make his Mercedes F1 debut during the first free practice session at the Italian Grand Prix.
