Ralf Schumacher says Toto Wolff would be ‘crazy’ to sign Max Verstappen for one simple reason

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Ralf Schumacher believes Max Verstappen is ‘running out of options’ if he wants to leave Red Bull despite long-standing admiration from Mercedes.

Verstappen’s retirement at the start of Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix, his second of the season, leaves him seventh in the standings with 43 points from six races. The Dutchman hasn’t finished outside the top six since his rookie season at Toro Rosso.

Recent flashes of pace – including a P2 in Monaco qualifying – suggest he will climb the order. But Verstappen is already 113 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli, the first time he’s been out of realistic contention so early since 2020.

Toto Wolff told he risks Lewis Hamilton/Nico Rosberg repeat if he signs Max Verstappen

Verstappen will be able to activate an exit clause in his contract if he’s still outside the top two in the standings by the end of August. His refusal to publicly commit to Red Bull indicates that he’s considering his options.

A report last week claimed Toto Wolff maintains an ‘uncontrollable desire’ to sign Verstappen despite the rise of Antonelli and Mercedes’ dominance.

But Sky Germany pundit Schumacher says Wolff would be ‘crazy’ to make such a move. He already has a ‘perfect’ line-up with Antonelli becoming a superstar and Russell increasingly looking like ‘a clear number two’.

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Russell would, of course, reject that label, particularly at such an early stage in the season. He has fallen 68 points adrift of Antonelli and has struggled to keep up lately, but misfortune has factored heavily into the points deficit.

“I think Max is slowly running out of options,” said Schumacher. “Toto Wolff has his protege, who can now compete for the world championship. If he can deliver on that, Toto Wolff would be crazy to bring someone into the team who is so strong and brings even more pressure.

“He already did that with Hamilton and Rosberg; it doesn’t make sense. A clear number two, which George Russell is currently developing into, would be perfect.”

Everyone at Mercedes is wary of controlling the tension between the drivers, having seen a toxic rivalry develop between Hamilton and Rosberg between 2014 and 2016, when they were the only contenders for the title.