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Mike Hezemans thinks Toto Wolff “must be laughing” at the idea of Max Verstappen eyeing a move to Mercedes for 2027, after seeing how much Red Bull are struggling.
Mercedes CEO, team principal and part-owner Wolff has looked into signing Verstappen for a number of years, but his chance to see the Dutchman race for the Silver Arrows has never materialised. Wolff even attempted to sign Verstappen before he had his debut in F1 in 2015.
Red Bull beat out Mercedes to sign Verstappen in his youth, as they could give him a quicker route into Formula 1 through Toro Rosso. Yet even Verstappen signing a contract at Red Bull through 2028 has not stopped Wolff from maintaining an interest due to his release clauses.
Wolff admitted he spoke to Verstappen’s manager in 2025, as the four-time champion could have left Red Bull if he hit the summer break outside the top three in the drivers’ standings. Verstappen only has to rank third or lower this summer for his exit clause to become active.
Would Max Verstappen be complaining about F1’s 2026 regulations if he had joined Mercedes?
Toto Wolff ‘must be laughing’ at the money Mercedes could save trying to sign Max Verstappen now
It is highly likely that Verstappen will have the right to terminate his Red Bull contract early this year, as Mercedes are comfortably the team to beat under the 2026 regulations ahead of Ferrari. Red Bull have an inherent lack of downforce that is often frustrating Verstappen.
READ MORE: 2026 Chinese Grand Prix race report, as Kimi Antonelli scored his first F1 win
So, Hezemans suspects that Verstappen is already setting his sights on a move to Mercedes for 2027. He even feels Wolff “must be laughing”, as the Mercedes chief would now be able to negotiate a much cheaper contract with Verstappen’s agent, as he now has all the cards.
Hezemans told RacingNews365: “Last year and the year before, I was always the first to say that a move to Mercedes was not going to happen. Toto Wolff is invested there with his own money, and he thinks Max is too expensive.
“Toto is going to talk to Max when his car is so fast that Max actually needs a Mercedes. That is the case now. So, I think Max is already eyeing that direction, because you have to.
“Everyone wants Max, but then you still have two questions. Does Max want to continue? And then the second question is, can you afford him?
“Toto must be laughing now. He is willing to sit down with Verstappen now. That makes negotiating a lot easier.”
Lando Norris, George Russell and Alex Albon made their F1 debuts on this day in 2019
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Hezemans is right to suggest that Wolff will feel he has more power in any negotiations with Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen about a move from Red Bull for 2027, given the dominant start to 2026 that George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli have so far produced.
Also, Wolff claimed he teased Verstappen’s manager about Mercedes’ likely offer should the Silver Arrows dominate in 2026 during their talks last year. The Austrian suggested that they will only have to pay “10% of that €100million” (£86.5m) that he would have wanted to join.
Wolff would have a decision to make over which Mercedes driver Verstappen would replace, though. Yet Hezemans adds that the only driver whom Wolff could “throw out” of Mercedes to clear a space for Verstappen to join them in 2027 would be Russell, rather than Antonelli.
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