Toto Wolff is enjoying Mercedes’ resurgence ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix (Image: Getty)
Toto Wolff has explained that his conversations with Jos Verstappen at the Austrian Grand Prix were ‘nothing serious’, despite his renewed interest in signing the Dutchman’s son, Max Verstappen, as a replacement for the Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
Wolff and Verstappen Snr were spotted in conversation at the Red Bull Ring during the second leg of the triple header amid ongoing drama between the Dutchman and his son’s employers regarding the pre-race classic cars parade.
However, speaking to OE24 about his conversations with Verstappen Snr, Wolff said: “[They were] nothing special. We already know each other from earlier times as racing drivers and are on the same wavelength when it comes to racing.”
With Hamilton set to drive for Ferrari next year and Kimi Antonelli waiting in the wings as an insurance policy, Mercedes team principal Wolff has been freed up to go full guns blazing in his bid to lure Verstappen to Brackley in 2025.
The Austrian is hoping that the ongoing instability behind the scenes at Red Bull, combined with a sharp upward trajectory from Mercedes in the development race will be enough to convince Verstappen to leave the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Verstappen’s father’s outbursts are not helping team harmony at Red Bull. The 52-year-old has been involved in a long-lasting war of words with team principal Christian Horner, with his latest tirade coming in Austria after accusing his son’s boss of attempting to remove him from the classic car parade.
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Jos Verstappen is far from happy with the ongoings at Red Bull (Image: Getty)
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“You know, I think it’s a bit pathetic that he’s behind it to not have me in that car,” Verstappen Snr told GPblog. “So I’m like, ‘I’m not doing it, who cares?’ It’s for the fans, it should be good. But he’s so childish to play that game. Well, if he wants to play that game, he can have it.”
Until now, the main limiting factor stopping Verstappen from swapping his current employers for Mercedes has been the drastic performance gap between the two teams. Heading into the Austrian GP, the Silver Arrows had just two podium finishes to their name.
However, after George Russell snatched a smash-and-grab victory in Spielberg, Mercedes made it back-to-back wins when Lewis Hamilton fended off the threat of Verstappen to end a 56-race winless streak in front of a jubilant Silverstone crowd on Sunday.
That victory, achieved on pure pace unlike Russell’s Austrian GP triumph, marked Mercedes’ return to the frontrunning pack and will do wonders to Wolff’s hopes of luring the three-time world champion to Brackley next season.
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