F1 Rumor: Toto Wolff’s Hypocrisy Exposed as He Offers Ambassador Contract to Max Verstappen After Denying Lewis Hamilton

Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari move has started what many call the silly season. The driver market at the moment is like a fish market, with everyone wanting the best driver out there. And with the Christian Horner investigation supposedly breaking Red Bull apart, Max Verstappen is rumored to leave and join Mercedes. Amid all this, Toto Wolff’s hypocrisy is exposed as he offers the Dutchman an ambassadorial contract but denies one to Lewis Hamilton earlier.

Let’s go back about a year, back when Lewis Hamilton was in his last year of the Mercedes contract. Then came the rumors of John Elkann and Frederic Vasseur pursuing Hamilton to join Ferrari. But Hamilton wanted to stay with Mercedes, asking Toto Wolff and Co. for a couple-year racing contract that also included an ambassadorial role once he decided to hang up the helmet. However, Toto Wolff didn’t agree to the ambassador role, while Hamilton signed a 1+1 extension with Mercedes.

Now, at present, Max Verstappen has been heavily linked to the Mercedes seat, and as Lewis Hamilton himself said and proved by moving to Ferrari, “anything is possible.” Sources suggest that the majority of the people at Mercedes want Max Verstappen to fill in the boots left by Hamilton, and the team is even ready to offer the current champion advertising ambassador contract.

Significantly, a F1-Insider also noted, “Over 90 percent of Mercedes employees want the three-time world champion as the new luminous symbol of their star. This is clearly evident from positive comments from the Mercedes intranet. In addition to the sporty aspect, which could look rosier again in 2026, because Mercedes currently has by far the best values of the then-new engines, the group also offers a long-term lucrative advertising ambassador contract, which could be a hardly rejectable attraction for the Dutchman, especially after his active career.”

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From time and time, Max Verstappen has teased the fact that he wouldn’t be in F1 for as long as a driver like Fernando Alonso prevails, and an ambassadorial contract will be of great lure to the Dutchman. But what is Toto Wolff saying about the possibility of signing Max Verstappen?

“Would love to have Verstappen”: Toto Wolff on having Max at Mercedes

Toto Wolff was surprised when Lewis Hamilton asked to meet up with him and told him about signing with Ferrari for 2025. While Wolff must’ve been a little hurt, the Austrian had the responsibility of finding a driver to fill in the shoes of the 7X champion. Carlos Sainz, Max Verstappen, Fernando Alonso, and Kimi Antonelli are all possible options that Wolff can go for. 

Talking about the possibility of signing Verstappen, Toto Wolff said, “I would love to have him [Max Verstappen]. He added, “I think we are going to wait on a decision. We have a few interesting options. The more we are able to assess how the season pans out, young drivers, slightly older ones, that’s not going to be a decision we want to take in the next few weeks, it’s rather a few months depending on where it goes.”

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Will Max Verstappen leave Red Bull and join Mercedes? Let us know in the comments.