Wolff dismisses freshest Verstappen rumours

Mar.25 (GMM) Toto Wolff has brushed aside fresh speculation linking Max Verstappen with a move to Mercedes, insisting he has no reason to consider a driver change.

Rumours have suggested Verstappen – publicly enraged with the 2026 regulations and uncompetitive at Red Bull – could be a target for 2027. It is said he would replace championship leader George Russell, as Mercedes gets off to a dominant start to the controversial new regulations era.

But Wolff made clear he is not entertaining the idea.

“The astonishing thing is that these silly rumours are already surfacing in March,” he told Osterreich.

“It’s silly enough that you normally have to discuss these things in July. I don’t know who brought this up again.

“We have two drivers with whom we have long-term, multi-year contracts. I couldn’t be happier with either of them.

“Both are delivering top performances, so there’s absolutely no reason to even consider a lineup change, or other drivers. I say this with the utmost respect for Max.”

The speculation has been fuelled in part by Verstappen’s increasing links with Mercedes machinery outside Formula 1, including his GT3 program and reported involvement in development work for the brand’s next GT3 model.

However, Wolff insisted he is firmly focused on his current pairing – particularly rising star Kimi Antonelli.

“You mustn’t forget that we had to listen to criticism for over a year – that he’s too young, that he makes too many mistakes,” Wolff said.

“It was a lot of hard work that we did together.

“Now we’ve experienced a great moment in China, but there will also be races where things don’t go so well. That’s part of the game.”

Despite Antonelli’s breakthrough win, Wolff urged caution about expectations. “No, it’s far too early to talk about that,” he said when asked about a potential title fight with Russell.

“We’re only at the second race this year, and he won that one.

“We’re ideally positioned: we have a veteran and a young driver for the future – that makes for a dream pairing.”

Wolff also played down the significance of appointing Bradley Lord as co-team principal, describing the move as a way to manage the growing demands of the role.

“For me, nothing really changes,” he said. “I remain team principal.

“Bradley makes my life much easier because otherwise I wouldn’t be able to manage the ever-increasing workload.”

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