Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff admits he has “open communication” with Max Verstappen about a potential move to the Silver Arrows in the future.
Formula 1’s world champion has been in the spotlight this season after his future was thrown up in the air following the imminent departure of Red Bull’s chief technical officer Adrian Newey.
Verstappen has dominated the sport in recent years, and is on course to win his fourth championship in a row, although his car has not been the best on the grid for a lot of races this season.
There have been strong reports suggesting Wolff wants to bring the Dutchman to Mercedes, with Lewis Hamilton heading to Ferrari in 2025.
And while there has not been any admission of talks between the two parties, the Mercedes boss has said he has had conversations with Verstappen.
Speaking to the BBC, he said: “Red Bull was the dominant car at the beginning of the season.
“And that changed a bit. It’s Max Verstappen dominant at the moment.
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“And the relationships were dysfunctional. I’m not sure they are back in a great place, but it is what it is.
“There was a moment, or there was an opportunity, to at least have conversations of what it could be in the future, and this is what we did.”
Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, does not have a good relationship with Red Bull team principal Christian Horner, leading to further speculation that his son could depart before his contract expires in 2028.
Verstappen himself says he does not see his long-term future in Formula 1, which could prompt him to leave his current team sooner rather than later.
When asked about his drivers for 2025, Wolff added: “Much too early. For the benefit of our drivers next year, I don’t want to have any conversation about 2026 or beyond, because we very much hope that the 2025 line-up will be the line-up going forward.
“We have not given each other any, let’s say, timings. It is more like, keep the communication channel open, while knowing that his priority is to make it function with Red Bull and our priority will be to make it function with the two drivers we have.”
Formula 1 returns this weekend for its iconic race at Monza, home of Ferrari.
