Toto Wolff Vows to Learn from His Mistakes After “Flirting” with Max Verstappen Amidst George Russell uncertainty
Toto Wolff insisted that he would learn from his mistakes and not try to flirt with the idea of acquiring Max Verstappen at Mercedes again.
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Max Verstappen (via Red Bull), George Russell (via Getty), Toto Wolff (via IMAGO)
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Toto Wolff‘s deep interest in acquiring Max Verstappen at Mercedes for the 2026 season onwards did not go unnoticed. Both Silver Arrows in George Russell and Kimi Antonelli suffered from extremely delayed contract extensions because of Wolff’s interest in the Dutchman. However, after confirming both the drivers’ extensions at Brackley, Wolff has recalled his mistakes of flirting with the idea of signing Verstappen.
Toto Wolff had set out to acquire Max Verstappen at Mercedes, and it dragged on for a couple of years. The two even met up in Sardinia amid all the rumors of Verstappen being in advanced talks with Brackley. However, the Dutchman ultimately put an end to the rumors and issued his full-fledged loyalty to Red Bull in the long run. Wolff still did not give up on the dream and hoped that one day the reigning world champion would join Brackley.
Now, after George Russell received his long-awaited contract extension, Toto Wolff has recalled his previous comments and methods to acquire Max Verstappen at Mercedes. The Austrian insisted that one needed to learn from the mistake, as he hoped to do the same. He clarified that there wasn’t any ‘on purpose’ flirting with Verstappen.
Rather, Toto Wolff ruled it out as a mere coincidence, as all the conversations between the former and Max Verstappen were crucial and had to be carried out at a certain point in time. Moreover, Wolff recalled his meeting with the Dutchman in Sardinia and revealed that the two coincidentally were in the same place. The Austrian acknowledged that it didn’t look good for either of the people and destabilized some things.
The truth is, you’ve got to learn from the mistake. There wasn’t any on-purpose flirting. It’s just a coincidence. It was clear that you needed to have that conversation. We ended up in the same place in the summer, which obviously doesn’t look good and is destabilising for everyone. But that’s the past. Now, everything is cleared, contracts are signed, and we move forward.
Toto Wolff said via Sky Sports.
Toto Wolff expresses faith in ‘good lineup’ of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli
George Russell and Kimi Antonelli have been performing great in the 2025 season and have helped the team snatch the P2 spot from Ferrari in the constructors’ standings. While Antonelli has endured some challenges in his rookie season, Russell remains a great lead driver at the team. As such, after confirming the current drivers’ lineup to continue for the coming seasons as well, Toto Wolff talks highly of the two.
Toto Wolff asserted that George Russell and Max Verstappen fighting one another in the coming season for the title would definitely be some great entertainment for the people. However, Wolff did not want to fuel any more speculations and explained that Russell and Antonelli were the team’s priority moving forward. The Austrian insisted that the two created a good lineup and were highly capable of scoring great results.
t would certainly be good entertainment for everyone! But we don’t want to create any rumours here. Kimi and George is what we want to do in the future and going forward. And it’s a good line-up.
Toto Wolff noted.
Mercedes still needs to cover a massive ground in performance against the rivals if they want a serious chance at the title. The team must gain some great improvements in pace in the coming season to enable both drivers to maximize results. It will certainly be interesting to witness how the two fare at Brackley in the coming season and contend for the title if the team is competent enough.
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