Toto Wolff now says he can’t rule out trying to hire 12-time champion for Mercedes

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Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff has refused to rule out a move for Red Bull technical star Adrian Newey.

The difference between Mercedes’s 2024 car and Red Bull’s is stark right now with Max Verstappen currently on course for a perfect season at this early stage of the campaign.

In an interview with oe24, Wolff was asked about the prospect of hiring the 12-time Formula 1 champion.

Wolff can’t rule out move to bring Newey to Mercedes

Since their heartbreaking loss in the final seconds of the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Mercedes have been on a steady decline.

Lewis Hamilton hasn’t won a race since the race in Saudi Arabia that year, while a Mercedes driver last stood on the top step of the podium in Brazil in 2022 thanks to George Russell.

The Silver Arrows have only taken small steps forward in recent years while Red Bull have taken giant leaps.

Although he’s not solely responsible for those improvements, Adrian Newey has taken a lot of credit for just how dominant Red Bull have been.

Given the disruption at Red Bull, speculation over the 65-year-old’s future has grown.

Sky Sports commentator David Croft has suggested he would love to see him join Ferrari.

And Toto Wolff has now shared whether he thinks he could convince Newey to switch Red Bull for Mercedes.

With new regulations being introduced in Formula 1 in 2026, having someone like Newey in the team would be a huge advantage.

Mercedes need to rediscover their advantage

Asked about whether there’s a chance Mercedes could hire Newey, Wolff said: “Everything is always possible in this crazy carousel, I wouldn’t rule anything out.

“But we have an excellent team of technicians with whom I feel comfortable and 100 per cent correctly positioned, even if the lap time doesn’t reflect that at the moment.”

Toto Wolff isn’t just eyeing Newey from Red Bull and has spoken about whether he would like to sign Max Verstappen too.

He’ll be encouraged by the start George Russell has made this season as the 26-year-old has outperformed Lewis Hamilton so far this year.

Finding the perfect teammate for the Brit is going to be his biggest task ahead of the 2025 campaign.

But any improvements he can make behind the scenes will greatly benefit the team as well.