Open Communication: Toto Wolff Discusses Future Mercedes Move for Max Verstappen Amid 2026 Speculation

Toto Wolff asserts that dialogue is ongoing regarding Max Verstappen potentially joining Mercedes

Toto Wolff provides the latest on the likelihood of Mercedes securing Max Verstappen for the 2026 season

Toto Wolff emphasizes that the lines of communication with Max Verstappen regarding a potential move to Mercedes are still active.

Wolff made no secret of his interest in Verstappen earlier this season amid turmoil at Red Bull, but the F1 champion is confirmed to remain with his current team next season.

Wolff will substitute Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari, with Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli will participate in the first practice session on Friday for Mercedes at the F1 Italian Grand Prix.

The head of the Mercedes team was questioned about the possibility of attracting Verstappen for the 2026 season.

He responded to BBC Sport by saying it was far too soon.

"To support our drivers next year, I prefer not to discuss plans for 2026 or later, as we strongly anticipate that the 2025 roster will continue into the future."

Wolff, on the other hand, confessed that he still has a direct communication channel with Verstappen.

"We haven't set any specific deadlines for each other," Wolff stated.

"It's more about maintaining open lines of communication, while understanding that his main goal is to work effectively with Red Bull, and our main goal is to ensure things run smoothly with our two drivers."

Wolff initially seized the opportunity to lure Verstappen over when Red Bull was dealing with internal issues that included Christian Horner, Helmut Marko, and Jos Verstappen.

"The interactions were problematic," Wolff stated.

"I'm uncertain if they've fully returned to a good state, but that's the situation."

"We had a chance to discuss potential future possibilities, and that’s exactly what we did."

While the opportunity to replace Hamilton with Verstappen has passed, a new chance will present itself in 2026.

Starting in 2026, the updated F1 rules will take effect, and speculation within the racing community suggests that Mercedes might dominate with the new engines.

If they manage to persuade Verstappen or demonstrate that their engine can lead to a dominant era, then another remarkable driver transfer might be possible.

However, it is anticipated that teenager Antonelli will be announced as a Mercedes driver for the upcoming year, joining George Russell.

Wolff is confident that the revamped pair will maintain his trust as they enter the new phase of Formula 1, though his continuing interactions with Verstappen remain noteworthy.

Last week in Zandvoort, Red Bull's team principal, Horner, responded to Wolff's praise of Verstappen.

"It's quite astonishing to me how extensively this subject is being talked about in public forums," noted Horner.

"The understanding between us and Max has always been straightforward, and although others may have their opinions, we are satisfied with our current position."

Horner added a comment: "I didn’t notice Toto’s car doing that well today."

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