Toto Wolff still has an ‘uncontrollable desire’ to bring Max Verstappen to Mercedes

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Toto Wolff looks to have the perfect team with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, but his desire to sign Max Verstappen is still strong.

The Austrian has missed out on the chance to sign the Red Bull driver several times. They held talks back in 2025, as Wolff considered shifting one of his drivers to sign Verstappen.

Ultimately, no move materialised, and the Mercedes boss retained Russell and Antonelli. But the ambiguity surrounding their contracts – the team only announced they were racing for 2026 – left speculation open about a possible move for Verstappen in the future.

It was said that Wolff is leaving the door open for Verstappen, with the Dutchman being able to leave Red Bull in 2026 through an exit clause.

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

Toto Wolff has an ‘uncontrollable desire’ to sign Max Verstappen

Mercedes look incredibly comfortable in 2026, having won every Grand Prix thus far. Antonelli leads the championship by 43 points over Russell, and the Silver Arrows lead Ferrari by 72 points.

But rumours around Verstappen’s future in F1 continue to swirl, as he threatens to quit the sport over the regulations. He is pushing for changes, but if Red Bull cannot improve, he will be free to switch teams.

Wolff spoke with Jos Verstappen in Montreal, but that conversation was around the Dutchman’s son’s antics at the Nurburgring. Nevertheless, it did not stop rumours about a move to Mercedes, and according to Antonio Lobato, Wolff still has a desire to sign Max Verstappen.

Lobato said via SoyMotor: “Well, he’s starting to bring his global dream to fruition. He’s got Kimi and it’s working, it’s starting to work and he’s got him leading the world championship and he’s got Italy in an uproar.

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“He’s had an uncontrollable desire for some time to have Max Verstappen on board. What a lovely film it would be to bring these two together, and he could do it because Max is in a team that isn’t performing, isn’t getting results, isn’t delivering, and he’s quite desperate.

“And the circumstances could arise for this to happen, and from there we’ll see what happens, because Mercedes is very well positioned this year and it feels like they might also be well positioned for this cycle, despite the ADUO and despite whatever else they might come up with.”

Wolff would have to pay out of his own pocket to sign Verstappen from Red Bull, and given his sizeable contract with the Milton Keynes outfit, he would have to fork out a significant fee.

With the Dutchman’s talent, it would be a fee worth paying, but Russell and Antonelli are currently giving Wolff no reason to make a rash change to his driver line-up.