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Toto Wolff puts hunt for Max Verstappen on hold

Wolff puts hunt for Verstappen on hold: 'We are keeping a low profile'

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  • Nicole Mulder

Toto Wolff admits it is time to stop 'flirting' with Max Verstappen. The Mercedes team boss showed interest in the Dutchman after Lewis Hamilton announced his departure. Wolff and Mercedes have since announced their lineup for 2025. They want to focus on George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, who will make his F1 debut next season.

Hamilton announced his departure from Mercedes before the 2024 season even started. Wolff talked with the Verstappen camp about signing the three-time World Champion several times. In doing so, the Mercedes boss tried to use the unrest within the Austrian Formula 1 team to his advantage. However, Verstappen made it clear he would remain loyal to Red Bull in 2025. After the summer break, Mercedes junior Antonelli was announced as Russell's new teammate.

Wolff stops flirting with Verstappen

So now that Mercedes' line-up for next year is known, Wolff is putting his faith in those drivers. That means he will stop trying to attract Verstappen. "We're sitting back," said the 52-year-old Austrian in conversation with Autosport.com. "I think I've expressed it before, and we have a similar view also from Max's side: you've got to put faith in your drivers or in your team." Wolff believes his drivers need his full support to make it a success. He will only "consider other options" if things go wrong.

Therefore, for his drivers' confidence, Wolff says it would not be good to openly "flirt" with other drivers. "For me, it's like flirting outside whilst you're making your relationship work. It doesn't work, I'm not flirting outside," stressed the Mercedes team boss. He would only say he would start a conversation if he was really considering a change. "And it is the same on his side. We're pretty aligned in our values on that I think."

This article has been created in collaboration with Matt Gretton