Max Verstappen Responds to Toto Wolff’s Flattery Attempt in 5 Words as Mercedes Move Looms Large

With Lewis Hamilton leaving Mercedes, there is a free seat in the team. Among all the possible drivers on the grid, Max Verstappen has caught the eye of Toto Wolff considering things are not very stable with Red Bull. Although the defending champion has a contract with the Milton Keynes outfit until 2028, there is a clause in his contract that lets him leave if Helmut Marko quits the team.

This clause is what drew the attention of the Mercedes Boss. After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Red Bull’s condition was more fragile than ever and this is when Max’s father, Jos Verstappen was found talking to Toto Wolff. Upon seeing this, many rumors started circulating in the paddocks about the reigning champion moving to the Silver Arrows.

Max Verstappen’s reaction to Toto Wolff’s words of appreciation

While it may seem like Max Verstappen led Mercedes to its doom, Toto Wolff believes it’s him who can bring the team back to its prime. Currently, Mercedes is having issues making a competitive car, and that has led Lewis Hamilton to leave the team in the first place. Verstappen also made it clear that he will be sticking to Red Bull after this as they have the best car.

This led to Toto Wolff pursuing the Red Bull world championship by keeping in touch with Verstappen and reviewing his performance after every race. Ever since the 2021 season, Wolff has objected to Verstappen’s performance many times. However after the 2024 season started, things have taken a turn with the Mercedes boss now taking interest in the rival driver.

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The compliments were noticed by Verstappen and recently acknowledged publically by him. Following the Japanese Grand Prix, the Dutchman finally broke his silence and responded to the Austrian saying, “Lately, [Toto]Wolff has been very kind, saying a lot of nice things about me.” However, this did not come with any update on if Verstappen will be making a move next season or not. And the world is dying to know where the youngest race winner will be driving. 

His dominance has made many draw a parallel between him and other sports legends like Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, and the latest one being Tiger Woods.

The treatment Max Verstappen deserves

With the Japanese Grand Prix, we got to see a typical Red Bull 1-2 finish with Ferrari closely behind. However, Verstappen winning almost every race might get boring for some, and to make the situation better, former F1 driver, Johnny Herbert shared some advice for the fans of the sport.

According to Herbert, fans should be enjoying Verstappen’s dominance in the sport just like fans loved Tiger Woods’ reign in golf. Explaining his statement, the former F1 driver said, “When Tiger Woods was at the top of his game, we all enjoyed it. His skill levels were phenomenal. We could see it and it was fascinating to watch every shot he made.”

Justifying the fairness of Verstappen winning Herbert added, “He [Tiger Woods] was way ahead of the field. Everybody enjoyed that and in the same way, they should enjoy Max. He is unbelievable. It is up to the other teams to provide a package that their drivers can have to challenge him.”

Other drivers on the grid are indeed highly competitive and many deserve the world champion title. But their teams are currently not being able to build a car to fight the RB20. If Formula One is to get interesting with the others challenging Verstappen, it will be more on the team’s end to make it happen as drivers are already giving it their best.

That being said, do you enjoy Red Bull’s dominance led by Max Verstappen? Or is it time for a new world champion in F1? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

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