Toto Wolff is patiently waiting for Max Verstappen while Carlos Sainz remains in the queue for Mercedes.
Toto Wolff would “kick himself” if he missed the opportunity to sign Max Verstappen, according to Dutch pundit Erik van Haren, that said to be the deciding factor in Mercedes’ decision not to sign Carlos Sainz. At least not right now.
Wolff’s desire for Verstappen to join Mercedes is no secret, as he openly expressed it, causing Red Bull to become displeased with his public pursuit of the three-time World Champion.
Toto Wolf would ‘kick himself’ if he missed out on signing Max Verstappen
That had Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff telling Bild that Wolff should “focus on his own problems”, adding: “He has enough of those. And it also has something to do with respect when you keep talking about other teams’ personnel. That’s not appropriate.”
However, Mintzlaff has complete confidence that Verstappen will continue as a Red Bull driver, while Wolff holds a different belief.
According to Wolff, there are a handful of reasons, other than possessing the fastest car on the grid, that might convince Verstappen to join Mercedes.
Wolff stated that Verstappen will make decisions based on his own judgment, and he believes that this will have a cascading effect on other events.
Carlos Sainz is among the dominos patiently queued up.
Before the start of this season, the three-time Grand Prix winner was released by Ferrari. It is rumored that he has temporarily postponed a lucrative offer from Audi, as there is a possibility that he could replace Lewis Hamilton, who is set to join Ferrari. This potential move would involve a direct exchange between the two drivers.
But Mercedes, PlanetF1.com understands, have all but closed the door on Sainz for now in the hope Verstappen could still leave Red Bull and explore his options.
How the 2025 F1 grid is shaping up
The 10 drivers out of contract at the end of the F1 2024 season
F1 2025 driver line-up: Who is already confirmed for the 2025 grid?
The team appears to be willing to delay the confirmation of George Russell’s teammate for 2025.
“Verstappen has no reason to leave Red Bull now,” Dutch pundit Erik van Haren told De Telegraaf. “Wolff knows that too.
“However, he would regret it if Verstappen becomes available in a few months.”
If Sainz remains a free agent by then, he could potentially be the one to step into the 2025 W16.
Nevertheless, the team has an alternative option in Formula 2 driver Kimi Antonelli, who is patiently waiting for an opportunity. It appears that the Italian may not secure a race seat with Williams F1, as the team seems to be leaning towards Valtteri Bottas as Alex Albon’s future teammate.
The possibilities for the 17-year-old, who will turn 18 in August, include either continuing for a second season in Formula 2 or making a significant jump from the feeder series to securing a seat with the former World Champions.
However, Wolff is not interested in hastening the Italian’s promotion.
“We’ve been building up this young man for quite a while now, and we believe he has the potential to become an exceptional driver in Formula 1 in the future. However, it’s important to note that he’s only 17,” he informed the media, including PlanetF1.com.
“It has been 14 months since he took the wheel of an F4 car, and the anticipation surrounding him in Italy is immense. We must admit, we are partly to blame for discussing him at such an early stage.”
I believe we should allow him to focus on his F2 tasks and achieve results without getting too caught up in what might or should happen.
If you observe George, he has achieved victory in F3 and F2 during his debut year, while Kimi has also demonstrated success in those lower racing categories and is currently competing in F2. It remains to be seen what the future holds for both of them.
“He will eventually make it to Formula 1, but we should avoid rushing his progress.”
Read next: Monaco magazine accused of Carlos Sainz ‘disrespect’ with Lewis Hamilton Ferrari cover
