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Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has expressed regret at revealing to George Russell that he was pursuing Max Verstappen for a seat at the team. The 2025 F1 silly season has gone into overdrive, and it all comes down to the availability of the Dutch driver.
It has been reported that Verstappen is not impressed at the trajectory that Red Bull has at the moment and has been looking at keeping his options open. One of these options was Mercedes, as the driver has reportedly expressed interest, and there has been an exchange between the two parties.
At the same time, Mercedes is in a precarious situation right now where both drivers have their current contracts expiring at the end of the season. While Kimi Antonelli has been Toto Wolff's project and there is an expectation that he might continue, George Russell is someone whose future has come under question.
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With the objective of being transparent with his drivers, Mercedes boss Wolff disclosed to Russell that the team was inquiring about Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull. This did, however, lead to Russell coming out in the media, revealing to everyone that the two parties have been in contact.
Talking to Sky Sports, Toto Wolff did admit that it was a bit naive of him to inform George Russell and be transparent, as it led to him triggering the social media storm. He said,
"He triggered the media avalanche! Sometimes I'm maybe naive but I try to be transparent with the drivers and I said 'listen I have the obligation to explore what Max is doing in the next few years'."
He added,
"And I think he came out with it to show that I'm aware what's going on and there's nothing happening behind my back, and I'm fine with that. I'm optimistic he [Russell] will sleep well over the summer break."
Mercedes boss remains unwilling to commit on a lineup involving either of Max Verstappen, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff did, however, continue to be as non-committal as possible to the entire situation, as he was unwilling to share what direction the lineup was leaning in. The Austrian said that the likeliest lineup was going to be George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, but he continued to leave the door open for Max Verstappen as well. When questioned about the possibility of the Dutchman joining them, he said (via the aforementioned source),
"This is all a long-shot, far-fetched. I want to stay with Kimi and George as it stands. Everything else is not realistic. If you have a Russell-Verstappen line-up, that's Prost-Senna."
When questioned if the lineup would then be Russell-Antonelli, he said,
"There is the largest of probabilities, [though] nothing is 100 per cent, that this will be the line-up next year. It's completely normal. Every driver wants a better car and more money. That won't be a crucial part [of the negotiations]."
The fact that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is unwilling to make a commitment either way does indicate that the door is still open for Max Verstappen should he wish to join the team.
