Max Verstappen is known for racing in the most ruthless manner. We saw that last weekend when Lando Norris and Max Verstappen’s racing incident caused the loudest uproar in the F1 world and around. The two drivers didn’t back down, causing a puncture to each other, even leading to a DNF for Norris. Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko even justified Verstappen’s unforgiving nature, blaming his ‘DNA’. But will Toto Wolff, Verstappen’s latest suitor, be okay with it if his efforts are answered in the affirmative?

For context, Toto Wolff has been trying to ‘court’ Max after Lewis Hamilton left Mercedes in favor of Ferrari. But the biggest question is, will he still want Max to race for him, knowing what he knows after the Austrian GP? The reason why this is such a pertinent question is that when his world champion drivers Lewis and Nico Rosberg raced each other (2014-2016) leading to ugly fights, he had set down strict rules for them, giving them serious warnings. David Croft and Damon Hill got together for the latest episode of Skysports F1 Podcast to deliberate on this and more.

Damon stated,

Crofty answered,

But despite the conjectures, Toto had not backed down from his pursuits.

Toto Wolff wants to show Max Verstappen that Mercedes is good enough for him

Toto Wolff and his pack at Mercedes have a Lewis Hamilton-sized hole to fill. A void that will agonize them, at least for the near future. But what could be the best revenge for your ex? You begin wooing their arch-enemy. Toto Wolff did exactly that when he openly began praising Verstappen, forgetting every ounce of rivalry they shared before Mercedes became uncompetitive. He even has set a timeline for when he wants Max to join them.

Talking about his recent pursuits, he said, “Would Max Verstappen consider joining Mercedes in 2025? No. There is no reason. Why would he? The [Red Bull] car is ultra-dominant. Maybe he’s going to win every race, and a driver will always seek that kind of machine.”

He added, “That has changed over the last few weeks and months. There are three teams that were competing against each other. Hopefully, we can demonstrate that we are part of this group now, too. So maybe there’s a window but 2026 is our main year where lots of things change, and I think it could be quite attractive to drive with us. But whether it’s Max, and whether he can get out of his contract, I don’t know.”

Do you think Max can really be a Merc driver soon?