‘Things can happen’ – Toto Wolff drops Max Verstappen hint in Mercedes F1 2025 driver search

Toto Wolff has hinted Mercedes won’t be committing to a driver decision for F1 2025 until the possibility of tempting Max Verstappen is no more.

Mercedes is on the hunt for a driver to replace the departing Lewis Hamilton, with the seven-time F1 World Champion leaving Brackley after over a decade in order to join Scuderia Ferrari.

Toto Wolff: Something tells me not to rush

It’s almost six months since the confirmation of Hamilton’s departure, with Mercedes choosing to keep their second cockpit open and keep a watching brief over who to put in the car alongside George Russell for 2025.

Carlos Sainz briefly appeared to be an option for the Brackley-based team but, with different ideas on how quickly to make a deal happen, the Spaniard now appears to be a more likely candidate for Williams or Alpine.

A leading candidate for Mercedes is junior driver Kimi Antonelli, with the young Italian racing in Formula 2 this year – he becomes fully eligible for an F1 super licence without the need for special FIA dispensation when he turns 18 in August.

But Antonelli’s debut year in Formula 2 hasn’t been smooth sailing – a victory in the Silverstone sprint race has been the highlight of his season and his only podium finish – he currently lies eighth in the driver standings.

Antonelli’s Prema Racing teammate Oliver Bearman, a Ferrari junior, has been signed to Haas for next season and Wolff said that it’s clear both drivers have been struggling with the handling and performance of the Prema F2 car – something that is taken into consideration when looking at Antonelli’s data.

With Antonelli having carried out multiple tests through TPC (testing of previous cars) regulations to get some private running with older Mercedes F1 cars, Wolff said this plays a much bigger factor in how Antonelli is being assessed.

“It’s a data decision and, obviously when you look at Kimi, the team hasn’t really found a good grip this year, which can happen,” the Austrian told Sky F1 on Saturday.

“But he’s seventh and Oliver Bearman, who is clearly a very good driver, is 14th.

“They both struggle with the car. It’s not saying that one is better than the other one, but they struggle with the car in specific sessions.

“So we see what he’s doing in an F1 car – that’s the most important.”

Wolff has also made no secret of the fact he views reigning World Champion Max Verstappen as an ideal replacement for Hamilton, with Max’s father Jos spotted on multiple occasions in discussion with Mercedes personnel in the paddock this season.

Wolff has sung Verstappen’s praises and, with the Dutch driver appearing to waver on his future despite having a contract with Red Bull until 2028, Wolff hinted that he is waiting until that door closes entirely before committing to someone else.

“As for the rest of the driver market, there is something instinctive that tells me ‘Don’t rush’ and I can’t even tell you what it is,” he said, smiling, before broadcaster and former Mercedes F1 driver Nico Rosberg challenged him on the topic.

The German, who won the 2016 title with Mercedes before immediately retiring from F1, said “That can only be a certain Max Verstappen, who hasn’t made his mind up yet, if I can just jump in there!”

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Laughing, Wolff referred back to Rosberg’s own decision-making as being pertinent to his patience in waiting to see what Verstappen might choose to do: “I had a really good relationship with a driver called Nico Rosberg, who was at the peak of his doing, won a championship, and then he said ‘I don’t want this anymore’ so, you know, things can happen!”

Verstappen has recently distanced himself from the prospect of a switch away from Red Bull, which is understood to be made possible, if he desires, based on a contract clause related to Helmut Marko’s ongoing employment with Red Bull.

The Dutch driver has made clear his intention to stay with Red Bull for next season, confirming in the drivers’ press conference in Austria that he will be with Red Bull next year.

However, told by OE24 that Verstappen had said “yes” on Thursday when asked if he would still be driving for Red Bull next year, Wolff replied: “Did he really say that?

“I don’t think he clearly said yes. But I wasn’t there.”

Asked if that meant he was still hoping to persuade Verstappen over to Brackley, the team principal answered: “As I always say: We’ll keep our free seat free for as long as possible. First and foremost, we have to make our car faster. If the car goes fast, fast drivers will want to drive with us.”

And Wolff considers Verstappen to be one of the fastest, saying: “I’ve said it a lot recently: Max is the best driver at the moment, and everyone who has the chance would like to have Max in their car. Ola (Kallenius, Mercedes CEO) sees it the same way.”

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