Verstappen in Wolff's sights? 'We always aim for the best line-up'

Following Lewis Hamilton's departure in 2025, Mercedes will want to have the best possible driver duo in place. Helmut Marko is convinced that Toto Wolff will make an attempt to take Max Verstappen away from Red Bull Racing, but said in advance that it is hopeless. Wolff does not deny that he wants to bring in the Dutchman but stresses that he will respect existing contracts.

Verstappen in Wolff's sights?

According to Wolff, there are many names "that could be interesting" for the seat next to George Russell. The Mercedes team boss stressed that all options are yet to be evaluated and that the team will take their time in the coming months to do so.

Among others, Carlos Sainz, Mick Schumacher, Alex Albon, Esteban Ocon and Fernando Alonso are already being linked with Hamilton's seat. Many contracts expire after 2024, and so Mercedes seems to have more than enough options. One contract that does not expire for now is that of Max Verstappen. Nevertheless, according to Marko, Mercedes would be interested in the triple world champion.

In that case, Wolff has a problem: Verstappen still has a contract at Red Bull until the end of 2028. "We will always strive for the best driver combination," Wolff told German RTL. Though this means he will not shy away from talks, he stressed. After all, Hamilton's high-profile switch has highlighted how quickly the driver market can change.

The Mercedes boss does add a caveat: "Existing contracts will be respected." He stresses that drivers always want to be in the fastest car and that the ball is, therefore, in the German racing team's court to put a competitive car on the grid, especially in view of the new regulations.