Wolff rules out a shock Newey arrival, but still place for Verstappen

Toto Wolff has ruled out Adrian Newey's arrival at Mercedes. The designer may join another Formula 1 team after leaving Red Bull Racing, but it will not be the silver arrows. The door is still wide open for Max Verstappen, although the Mercedes team boss knows he will probably have to bring someone else to partner George Russell next season.

Newey's future in Formula 1 is still uncertain. The star designer is said to have held talks with Ferrari, but a deal is reportedly not going to happen. Mercedes, however, is not on the fence over the mastermind. "No. We will stick together as a team - for better and for worse. I know what I get from James Allison (technical director) and his management team," Wolff confidently said to OE24.

Max Verstappen is still regarded by Wolff as the 'strongest driver in the best car'. It's the reason why Mercedes has still not decided who should succeed Lewis Hamilton. As long as Red Bull has the best car, Verstappen has no reason to leave. However, the Brackley-based team is not giving in easily and has still not put the arrival of the triple world champion out of mind.

Slowly but surely, therefore, Wolff's realisation is also beginning to sink in that angling Verstappen in for 2025 will be a near-impossible task. "At the moment, there is nothing to suggest that Max will leave Red Bull. Their car is still the benchmark, he is very far ahead in the championship. So why would he flirt with another team?" Wolff concluded.