Toto Wolff appears to be making his choice on Mercedes’ 2025 driver line-up between Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz. The former is tied down with Red Bull until 2028 but has seen his future destabilised by the ongoing behind-the-scenes turmoil at Milton Keynes, while the latter has impressed in spite of his looming departure from Ferrari.
Verstappen’s feelings about the Red Bull team looked to be stabilising ahead of the Miami Grand Prix, but the reigning champions were hit with a bombshell in the week of the race as it was confirmed that Adrian Newey would be leaving in the first quarter of 2025.
This news will only offer more hope to Wolff and Mercedes, who have thus far refused to commit in their search to replace Lewis Hamilton, instead holding out in the hope that Red Bull’s implosion gives them a chance to poach Verstappen.
Addressing rumours of a meeting with Verstappen’s entourage after the Miami GP, Wolff said: “There’s always plenty of meetings. I can’t really say about the second driver. I think we’ve talked about the possibilities. I want to be fair to these guys and not make it look like we are playing chess with humans, because we are not doing that.
“I think we want to take our time, see where Max’s thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers. Carlos was very strong in Miami again and that’s why we are a little bit on an observation mode at the moment.”
While Wolff is still cautiously optimistic about Mercedes’ chances of luring Verstappen away from Red Bull, he admitted that a deal remains unlikely. “As I said before, if I was him, I wouldn’t leave, at least for 2025,” he explained.
“But it’s all in his… he’s the leading the driver, he’s the top guy at the moment and that’s why it’s for him to take those decisions. There may not be any decisions to take, maybe everything continues like it is, but that is then also guidance for us.”
One name not mentioned by Wolff was Kimi Antonelli, whose future has been a hot topic in the paddock over the past week. The Italian teenager had previously been touted for an immediate call-up to Mercedes, but his best route onto the F1 grid now appears to be via a two-year stay at Williams.
