Austrian GP Reveals Toto Wolff’s Biggest Problem With Max Verstappen in Driving for Mercedes

Max Verstappen is known for racing in the most ruthless manner. We saw that last weekend when Lando Norris and Max Verstappen’s racing incident caused the loudest uproar in the F1 world and around. The two drivers didn’t back down, causing a puncture to each other, even leading to a DNF for Norris. Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko even justified Verstappen’s unforgiving nature, blaming his ‘DNA’. But will Toto Wolff, Verstappen’s latest suitor, be okay with it if his efforts are answered in the affirmative?

For context, Toto Wolff has been trying to ‘court’ Max after Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes in favor of Ferrari. But the biggest question is, will he still want Max to race for him, knowing what he knows after the Austrian GP? The reason why this is such a pertinent question is that when his world champion drivers Lewis and Nico Rosberg raced each other (2014-2016) leading to ugly fights, he had set down strict rules for them, giving them serious warnings. David Croft and Damon Hill got together for the latest episode of Skysports F1 Podcast to deliberate on this and more.

Lando Norris (L), Max Verstappen (R) | Image Credits: Imago

Damon stated, “There’s talk about him going to Mercedes. What would Toto’s view be with regard to how Max drives that might be an interesting um Clash of opinions I mean I’m I’ve I tend to believe that Toto believes that he wants his drivers to race hard and fair now ma if he wants Max to drive for Mercedes, is he going to be as tolerant as Red Bull are of the way Max drives?”

Crofty answered, “Well Toto, I think rather dodge the question straight after the race, said he hadn’t seen it. To be honest, it was they get the best views, football managers team principles. They get all the views they want and somehow they never see it quite at the time. Look, Mercedes had a code of conduct. Didn’t they have driving standards when Nico and Lewis were getting too close for comfort in 2016? They have rules by which they expect their drivers to behave with each other, whether that extends to other drivers on the track. I don’t know.”

But despite the conjectures, Toto had not backed down from his pursuits.

Toto Wolff wants to show Max Verstappen that Mercedes is good enough for him

Toto Wolff and his pack at Mercedes have a Lewis Hamilton-sized hole to fill. A void that will agonize them, at least for the near future. But what could be the best revenge for your ex? You begin wooing their arch-enemy. Toto Wolff did exactly that when he openly began praising Verstappen, forgetting every ounce of rivalry they shared before Mercedes became uncompetitive. He even has set a timeline for when he wants Max to join them.

Image Courtesy: Imago | L-R: Lewis Hamilton, Toto Wolff, and Max Verstappen

Talking about his recent pursuits, he said, “Would Max Verstappen consider joining Mercedes in 2025? No. There is no reason. Why would he? The [Red Bull] car is ultra-dominant. Maybe he’s going to win every race, and a driver will always seek that kind of machine.”

He added, “That has changed over the last few weeks and months. There are three teams that were competing against each other. Hopefully, we can demonstrate that we are part of this group now, too. So maybe there’s a window but 2026 is our main year where lots of things change, and I think it could be quite attractive to drive with us. But whether it’s Max, and whether he can get out of his contract, I don’t know.”

Do you think Max can really be a Merc driver soon?

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