Wolff admits Mercedes task to poach Verstappen as ‘logical’ Hamilton replacement

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Toto Wolff has now explained what Mercedes must do to convince Max Verstappen to leave Red Bull and replace Lewis Hamilton at the Formula 1 team in the 2025 season.

The Silver Arrows chief admits Verstappen is the ‘logical’ option to join George Russell in the team’s garage next year. Wolff sees the Red Bull racer as the ‘strongest driver’ on the F1 grid in 2024 and believes all 10 teams would want to have the three-time champion in their cars.

Verstappen has emerged as a shock candidate to replace Hamilton following the seven-time champion’s decision to join Ferrari next year. The 39-year-old triggered the release clause in his contract for Mercedes – which he only signed in August – to leave after the 2024 season.

Red Bull driver Verstappen could replace Hamilton in 2025

Red Bull have Verstappen tied down in Milton Keynes through the 2028 Formula 1 term. But the 26-year-old’s deal has a clause which lets him leave early if Helmut Marko goes. Marko is the parent Red Bull company’s motorsport advisor and leads their young driver programme.

The Verstappen family are close with Marko, having created a path for his recent dominance in the pinnacle of motorsport. Verstappen won 19 of the 22 Grand Prix in 2023 and has won the first two races of 2024. He can match his all-time win-streak record at the Australian GP.

Verstappen set F1’s all-time record at 10 consecutive Grand Prix wins from the 2023 Miami GP to the Italian GP. The Dutchman can now equal that record by winning in Melbourne on March 24. His victory at the Saudi Arabian GP took him to nine since the 2023 Japanese GP.

Wolff explains what Mercedes need to poach Verstappen

Mercedes have only won one Grand Prix since Hamilton denied Verstappen to take the 2021 Saudi GP. Russell won the 2022 Sao Paulo GP for the team’s sole win since F1 embraced new ground effect regulations in 2022 and set their top finish in 2024 yet of P5 at the Bahrain GP.

So, team principal Wolff admits that Mercedes must show Verstappen they can deliver if the Silver Arrows are to poach the Red Bull racer to replace Hamilton in 2025. But he also claims joining in 2025 could appeal ahead of F1 introducing its next set of new regulations in 2026.

“Every team would like to take Max because he is the strongest driver,” Wolf told OE24. “It’s logical! But the driver will always try to sit in the most powerful car. That’s why we have to do our homework beforehand so that the car performs.

“So, Mercedes could become a real alternative for Max… In fact, there will be completely new regulations from 2026, especially when it comes to the engine.

“This gives us the opportunity to, hopefully, do as well as we did in 2014. If you, as a driver, can be there early, that is, of course, an advantage.”