Mercedes u-turned on signing Max Verstappen because it’s not the ’80s’ anymore

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When Toto Wolff says in public that Mercedes are happy with their driver line-up, many treat it with a degree of scepticism.

Wolff has had a long-standing determination to sign Max Verstappen, no doubt strengthened by each of his four world championship wins. George Russell even let slip that his team boss was speaking to the Red Bull driver last year.

But when Wolff insisted after the Monaco GP that he ‘can’t imagine a better driver pairing’, suggesting Mercedes are no longer pursuing Verstappen, he meant it – at least according to F1 Insider.

If you were Toto Wolff, would you sign Max Verstappen to replace George Russell?

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Mercedes want ‘social media’ specialists over brutally honest Max Verstappen

Former McLaren driver Gerhard Berger explained to the publication that, in the 80s and 90s, F1 bosses were willing to disrupt team harmony in order to sign the best drivers.

“[Ron] Dennis only wanted the best, in every area,” Berger said. “Anything less wasn’t good enough. That’s why he always wanted the fastest drivers, because he believed he could manage even the most difficult personalities.

“Senna and Prost were a good example. There was hatred, collisions, and a lot of bad blood. But those two absolutely dominated. Ferrari operated similarly.

“That means that in the 80s and 90s, there would have been no question that Max would have been the clear number one on the signing list for every top team.”

But as the report notes, the ‘philosophy’ of F1’s modern leaders is different. Mercedes may have won 51 out of 59 races between 2014 and 2016, but the bitter rivalry between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton poisoned the atmosphere at the team.

Given Verstappen’s combative driving style and unapologetic honesty, there are concerns that a similar scenario could develop if he competed with Russell or, more likely, Kimi Antonelli.

Helmut Marko says teams these days prefer drivers ‘who are perfect at social media’ and ‘talk a lot without actually saying anything’, as opposed to ‘open and direct’ competitors like Verstappen.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen told he showcased ‘the beauty of Formula 1’ at the Monaco Grand Prix despite DNF

What’s more, Mercedes’ chairman Ola Kallenius fears Verstappen could overshadow the team if he joins. If they win, it will be down to him, and if they don’t, it will be in spite of him.

Wolff agrees and is also keen to protect his ‘protege’ Antonelli. The team is well aware of Verstappen’s talent, especially after he ended their title streak in 2021, but they fear it comes with a cost.

It’s worth noting that Verstappen’s teammates almost always speak of him in positive terms, but he hasn’t yet gone head-to-head for the title with one of his colleagues.