Toto Wolff made one ‘telling’ Max Verstappen comment after his George Russell clash amid Mercedes interest

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Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen didn’t have anyone on his side in the paddock after his antics during the Spanish Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen was handed a 10-second time penalty after colliding with Mercedes driver George Russell during the frenetic final laps of last Sunday’s race.

Red Bull’s three-stop strategy was ruined by a late safety car and Verstappen was furious with a radio message from Gianpiero Lambiase asking him to give a position back to Russell.

The stewards later decided that wasn’t necessary, but Verstappen drove into Russell as the Mercedes driver tried to make his way up to fourth.

Helmut Marko initially gave a coy answer on Verstappen’s crash when asked by the media, explaining that he needed to see the incident again.

After the race, Marko explained what Verstappen’s data said about his collision with the Mercedes driver but the Dutchman also had another surprising ally in the paddock after the Spanish Grand Prix.

Team principal Toto Wolff would have had every right to have been furious with the four-time world champion, but his reaction was telling considering Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes in recent times.

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

What Toto Wolff said about Max Verstappen after the Spanish Grand Prix

Journalists Nelson Valkenburg and Edd Straw were reflecting on Sunday’s Grand Prix for The Race F1 Podcast and discussing the main talking point from the Circuit de Catalunya.

Valkenburg explained: “There’s one more element I would add to this.

“Did you guys see Toto Wolff’s reaction at Viaplay? The reaction was so telling of where he is in the relationship with Verstappen.

“He said, well, I need to see it again. I didn’t clearly see it. There’s probably multiple angles of looking at it.

“And I thought, ah, this is a factor. If there is an apology, and it sort of came on Monday, this might be a factor as well.”

Straw replied: “Yeah, actually, after doing a few TV interviews, it may have been straight from the one you’re referencing, he came and did a thing with a group of journalists that I was in and he was very similar.

“He basically said, well, I can’t believe it was road rage. And he was sort of quite sort of downplaying it.

“So, I think I saw exactly the same thing just in a different avenue. So he’s doing it elsewhere as well.

“I think that’s a relationship where bridges don’t want to be burnt on either side for the future. Let’s put it that way.”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff

Should Max Verstappen consider switching to Mercedes for the 2026 Formula 1 season?

Aside from the internal swap at Red Bull and Alpine this season, the Formula 1 driver’s market has been relatively calm this year.

No drivers who are out of contract at the end of the season have signed extensions, meaning that there are technically two positions open at Mercedes for 2026.

Verstappen has every reason to be extremely loyal to Red Bull given the support they’ve provided him with throughout his career and the success they’ve enjoyed together.

However, Mercedes are rumoured to have the best power unit for 2026 and that could prove vital when the new regulations are introduced.

It would therefore make sense for Verstappen to seriously consider switching teams.

He will be better placed than most people in the paddock when it comes to determining what state Red Bull and Mercedes are in for next year.

Valtteri Bottas doesn’t believe there will be any movement within Mercedes’ driver line-up going forward, but that’s not stopping other teams looking at Russell.

Christian Horner has held informal chats with Russell in case he needs to find an immediate replacement for his star driver.

Russell is also being considered by Aston Martin but whether he wants to leave the Silver Arrows is another matter entirely.