Wolff Confirms He's Waiting For Verstappen To Decide Whether He Wants To Stay With Red Bull
F1Monday, 25 March 2024 at 12:00
Updated at Monday, 25 March 2024 at 12:10
Mercedes' team principal, Toto Wolff, confirmed that he is currently waiting for Max Verstappen to make a clear decision on whether or not he wants to stay with Red Bull Racing.
Max Verstappen was rumored to have a clause in his contract that would permit him to leave Red Bull Racing at any point in time if Helmut Marko was to depart the team.
While former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher confirmed ahead of the Australian Grand Prix that he knows for a fact that the clause is real and exists, Red Bull hasn't confirmed it.
On the other hand, Verstappen publicly warned Red Bull he would leave if Helmut Marko had to amid the drama during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, which suggests there could really be an option for him to do so.
Another confirmation of the fact that the Dutchman hasn't yet completely decided on his future with Red Bull came from Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
During the race weekend at Albert Park Circuit, he said he was waiting for the triple World Champion to decide whether to join Mercedes. As gbnews.com, he told De Telegraaf:
"Yes, I'm waiting for him. A few months ago I would never have expected to be able to say that. I don't want to speculate too much about his thoughts or put pressure on him."
"Now he is in the best car and has a very good relationship with Red Bull, it's just that maybe the whole work environment at the moment is not as it should be."
As it stands, Wolff isn't in a hurry to sign any driver, and there are a couple of very good options on the market for him if Verstappen decides to stay with Red Bull. He added:
"In due time, Max, Jos (Verstappen) and Raymond Vermeulen, their manager, will have to decide what their priority is - the car, the results, or certain values within the team that may or may not be respected and that they consider important. Knowing them quite well, I think Max and Jos are very attached to clear values."
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