Toto Wolff shares how confident he was of bringing Max Verstappen to Mercedes for 2025

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The idea of Max Verstappen leaving Red Bull and joining forces with their arch rivals Mercedes has been floated for a long time.

The Dutchman’s advantage has slowly dwindled at the top of Formula 1, as the likes of McLaren, Ferrari and the Silver Arrows themselves all have developed their cars aggressively.

But, that isn’t the only reason why Verstappen would consider a move, with a raft of conflict within his team, as well as the departures of Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley for 2025.

It’s hard to see Red Bull dominating to the extent that they have done over the past few seasons again any time soon, and their recent form suggests the trend is headed that way with no victories in their last four races.

How confident was Toto Wolff that he could snap Max Verstappen up?

Lewis Hamilton’s departure to Ferrari for 2025 opened up a premiere seat at the German manufacturer which has seemed more and more promising with their recent improvements.

They’ve started winning races again, and team principal Toto Wolff would’ve been hoping that would be enough for them to lure Verstappen into a move, but it hasn’t quite panned out that way.

“I thought all through the year that there was a window or that there was a possibility. It wasn’t zero,” Wolff told outlets including Motorsport.com.

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“It’s pretty bumpy ground there still, and not only for performance reasons, but also because of interpersonal issues that we’re all aware. By the way, I got on with Jos for all my life. But maybe because we’re a bit similar. And that’s why I thought the door was never completely closed.”

“What were the odds of that happening? Maybe there were 10 to 1. Nine to one. Still, I didn’t want to give up, but then we together came to the conclusion over the summer that we shouldn’t be waiting for something to happen before committing for 2025, but let’s just continue our job, Max at Red Bull and here at Mercedes taking our own driver decisions. And that was a kind of joint thought.”

Where does that leave the Formula 1 driver market now?

As silly season draws to a rather damp close, it appears that there is no chance of a headline move from Red Bull to Mercedes for Formula 1’s top dog.

Verstappen’s current contract with the Austrian outfit does allow him a way out of the team, despite it seeing him through to at least the end of 2028.

For now, Mercedes will have to look elsewhere for a second driver – and they likely already have an in-house solution, with 17-year-old Formula 2 starlet Andrea Kimi Antonelli prepared to step up to the plate after a few tests.

The young Italian could be a huge part of their future, and may also become the biggest threat to Verstappen down the line if he continues to develop as a driver at the same rate that he has done throughout much of his junior career.

George Russell will need to prepare himself to lead the Silver Arrows for the next few years, with the hopes of his team resting firmly on his shoulders while Antonelli adjusts to his surroundings.