Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, and Toto Wolff, the team boss of the reigning Constructor’s Champions. The two will not go easy on each other is a very simple fact. Moreover, when Max defeated the first driver of Mercedes in the last lap showdown at Abu Dhabi last year, things will be more stringent.

Well, that’s not what it looks like. At least that’s what Toto Wolff had to say. In an interview shared by the Mirror, Wolff stated that he’s not on a bad term with the Dutch driver. Even though Max is from a rival team, Toto has respect for him.

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Talking about this, the Austrian boss conveyed, “It’s true that there were some controversial moments last year. Everyone has their own view on the matter, their own perception of it. Often, the truth lies in the middle. But if you ask me personally, I think Max is very mature and intelligent, quite apart from his qualities as a driver at his age.”

“I have a lot of respect for him and for his father, Jos. That will never change, regardless of the discussions that have been going on.”

“This was not Max’s last title. He is a brilliant driver. It’s completely normal that the battle was so intense last year. It’s part of racing. If the situation had been reversed, we would have claimed the trophy and been happy about it. Max performed strongly all last year, and he missed out on a lot of points. He deserved to be world champion.”, the Mercedes team principal further asserted.

How do the two champions Max Verstappen and Mercedes find 2022 hard to get going?

The start of the 2022 season hasn’t been ideal for Max. The defending champion has already lost as much as 36 points in the three races he took part in so far. With two podiums gone because of two DNFs he suffered, the title defense seems risky for the 24-year-old driver.

Whereas, for Mercedes, it’s the same story. They’re 39 points adrift of leaders Ferrari already. The Mercedes Power units are underperforming and Toto Wolff has lost sleep over it. The Mercedes boss finds himself in a much stiffer situation than before as he talks about 2013.

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Interestingly, back then the German team only had to worry about Red Bull. But now it is the mighty Ferraris and then the Red Bull and their four drivers. As F1 goes to Italy next week, it’ll be interesting to see how Max and Toto’s team fare in their respective title defense.