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Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff apparently has not given up on signing Max Verstappen, who is one of the most sought-after drivers of this generation. According to a recent report from Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, Wolff is still interested in having the four-time world champion on his team.
Wolff, on more than one occasion, has praised Verstappen for his championship mentality, talent, and race craft. Especially after Lewis Hamilton's departure at the end of last year, Mercedes seemed to be in search of a world champion figure, a driver who could lead the team both on track and in terms endorsements, someone of Verstappen's pedigree.
Even though George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are talented and gifted drivers, they have yet to taste the F1 world championship. As a result, Wolff's interest in Verstappen seemed logical, and he has not ruled it out, even though he revealed he was happy with his current line-up.
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According to the latest report by renowned F1 journalist Erik van Haren of De Telegraaf, Toto Wolff is still 'flirting' with the idea of signing Max Verstappen. However, he also acknowledges that the chances of pricing him away from Red Bull Racing aren't very high.
With that said, the report adds that Verstappen is in no hurry to resolve his future and has multiple weeks to look at the situation. Setting aside Wolff's recent interest in Verstappen, the former has always admired the latter throughout his years in F1.
Mercedes boss once spoke about his regret over not signing Max Verstappen
Back in 2014, Mercedes and Toto Wolff had the opportunity to sign Max Verstappen. However, there was no way to place him on a team that had prime Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg in its ranks.
Wolff spoke about his regret over not signing Verstappen in an interview with ESPN in June 2023.
"I spoke to Jos and Huub Rothengatter [Jos Verstappen's manager during his F1 career] when they came to my office in Brackley and that must have been when Max was in karting or the end of his karting days [in 2013] just before Formula 3 [in 2014].
"And then we spoke again when Max and Jos visited me in my house in Vienna. We spent a few hours discussing his future. Do I regret missing out on Max? Certainly. But it wasn't an option back in the day," he further added.
With the chance gone, Max Verstappen waited till he landed the Red Bull deal. He started in F1 with Toro Rosso in 2015, and then moved to Red Bull, a team he is still driving for. At Red Bull, Verstappen has won four straight drivers' titles.
