“We still have unfinished business”, said Lewis Hamilton while signing the contract extension last year. Fast forward a year later, Lewis Hamilton has now left Toto Wolff with a headache to find a replacement for him after announcing his move to Ferrari. And amid the rumors of Max Verstappen signing for the team, the Mercedes CEO bashes his own team while putting an end to the rumor.
Over the last few months, amid the tensions at Red Bull after Christian Horner’s investigation followed by Adrian Newey’s exit, Toto Wolff has been linked strongly to be pursuing Max Verstappen to join Mercedes. Rumors of meeting, conversation, and Wolff himself admitting that Verstappen is on the radar just added to the burning rumor mill of the Dutchman leaving Red Bull. However, it seems like Wolff has admitted that the Mercedes isn’t good enough to attract Verstappen.
Toto Wolff: “Max will not get into a car that is not competitive and at the moment we are not competitive enough to attract a world champion. But we have to see how the next few months go.” https://t.co/Tgl8kZeqgK
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) May 30, 2024
Explaining the situation, according to Formulapassion.it, Toto Wolff admitted to the PA news agency that, “Max [Verstappen] will not get into a car that is not competitive and at the moment we are not competitive enough to attract a world champion. But we need to see how the next few months will go. Look at McLaren’s growth: if we can put four-tenths on the car, we will be very competitive. I have to wait for the right moment, there is no urgency.”
Looks like Wolff is hinting at the fact that with the current performance, Mercedes doesn’t have a chance to sign Verstappen but if they are able to find McLaren-like gains, there is potential. But this does put an end to the rumor of Verstappen having signed a contract with Mercedes. There’s still time and every TP is watching the driver market closely. Verstappen doesn’t seem too bothered and is happy with the fast Red Bull.
“It’s always about performance”: Max Verstappen’s on Money not Being a Factor Dictating his Team Choice
Toto Wolff was rumored to have gone as high as €150 Million a year to try and lure Max Verstappen to Red Bull. Verstappen on the other hand came out and suggested that money isn’t a factor that he considers while making the decision and that it is always about having the car with the best performance, which at the moment Red Bull is providing. However, looking at the last 3 races, even the performance of Red Bull is under question.
Commenting on the rumored €150 Million from Mercedes, Verstappen replied, “But at the end of the day, even if let’s say that would be the case, 150 million….money is not going to be the differentiator for me to go somewhere. I’m happy with what I’m earning already, it’s about performance. I know myself that if I will be driving for P5 or P6, you get quite grumpy with yourself. So, it’s always about performance at the end of the day. I mean, everyone knows that, Toto [Wolff] also knows that. My future is within Red Bull at the moment.”
Do you think Max Verstappen will consider the Mercedes move given the recent Red Bull struggles?
The post “Max [Verstappen] Will Not Get into a Car That Is Not Competitive”: Toto Wolff Bashes His Own Team as He Ends the Biggest Rumor appeared first on EssentiallySports.
