Verstappen Admits 'Little Moments' With Wolff, But Says It's 'Nice' To Hear His Comments

Thursday, 21 March 2024 at 19:30

Max Verstappen reacted to praise from Toto Wolff amid rumors of his potential move to Mercedes due to drama in Red Bull.

The tense situation inside Red Bull Racing led to Verstappen publicly warning his team after the qualifying session in Jeddah that he might leave if Helmut Marko were forced to.

The speculation about his potential exit has not stopped since then, with former F1 driver Johny Herbert lately claiming he heard the Dutchman's contract with Mercedes is "getting quite close."

When Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was asked whether he would like to have the 26-year-old on his team, he said there is no team on the grid that "wouldn't do handstands" to have him in their car.

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The triple World Champion was approached with Wolff's comments ahead of the 2024 Australian Grand Prix and asked whether they affected him in any way. As Sky Sports reports, he said:

"It doesn't have any impact on me on what I would do. It's always nice to hear that. Toto and I, we had our little moments but that's normal between two teams battling for the championship. But the respect has always been there. From my side, it doesn't change anything."

The rivalry between Mercedes's team principal and the Dutchman was at its highest during the 2021 season when their two teams went head-to-head in a battle for the title.

There were multiple very controversial moments when Lewis Hamilton and Verstappen collided on track, but that is all part of the past now.

Wolff's primary interest is the same as that of every team principal—to have the best driver in his car- and Verstappen's interest is, of course, to drive in the quickest car.

These two interests could potentially meet in the future, but for now, Silver Arrows can't offer the 26-year-old a title-contending machine. Asked whether he would consider joining Mercedes in the future, Verstappen added:

"I don't know. I don't know what happens after 2028. I don't know if I'm going to stay in F1 or continue or sign a new deal? I don't know that."