Ever since January of this year, Adrian Newey has been hitting the F1 town headlines. The Briton is considered one of the best motorsport engineers ever. Throughout his career, McLaren, Williams and Red Bull are the F1 teams that have employed him, and with these manufacturers, his cars have clinched 12 World Championships. Newey’s cars have been the leading force behind Sebastian Vettel’s four F1 Drivers’ titles and Verstappen’s recent World Championship hat-trick. But now, he has opted for a career change as he wants to continue designing competitive cars for some other outfit.

Right now, Newey is still under a Red Bull contract to work on its RB-17 supercar. But he will leave the outfit early next year. So, Ferrari, Aston Martin, and Williams are the possible places where fans might find the 65-year-old next. However, the CEO of the Scuderia, Beneditto Vigna, has reportedly refused to offer Newey the salary he demands. On top of this, there are concerns amidst the authority of the legacy team that bringing Adrian Newey might upset its current chain of command. Thus, the Englishman’s move to Maranello is not going to happen.

Newey has now become the target of several other top teams. Mercedes is one of the names that have come up. However, the Silver Arrows boss Toto Wolff has rejected the idea of going after him. At the Hungarian GP, the Austrian said to Oe24, “No [to the possibility of Mercedes seeking a deal with Newey]. We stick together as a team – in good times and in bad. I know what I have in James Allison [the Mercedes technical director] and his management team.”

Thus, Wolff has spelled his trust on the current Silver Arrows tech head, James Allison. But on the other hand, he did reveal an interest in poaching another recruit from the Red Bull garage – and it is none other than the team’s Dutch lion Max Verstappen himself. But what did Wolff say to indicate his desire to sign the current World Champion?

Toto Wolff spills how his interest from Hamilton to Verstappen

In 2021, the Formula 1 world witnessed an epic Championship fight between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen. At that time, Toto Wolff sided with his recruit and blamed the Dutchman for winning his debut F1 title due to FIA Race Director Michael Masi’s mistake. However, Hamilton has announced he is going to Ferrari now, and Wolff has changed his stance on Verstappen. The Austrian needs to find a replacement for the 39-year-old and it seems he has his eyes on Max.

Some interviewers have inquired about the possibility of Mercedes considering Max despite Wolff’s indifference towards Adrian Newey. In response to these claims, the Austrian motor racing CEO reportedly said, “It appears that Max is the most competitive driver in the fastest vehicle right now. This is the reason we have consistently left a window for him.” So, while the present Chief Technology Officer of Red Bull does not attract the Austrian billionaire’s attention, it is true that before the 2025 season starts, Wolff really wants the reigning champion in his squad.

However, Verstappen shows no interest in switching squads while he is at the prime of his career. All the reports show that the Dutchman is ready to uphold his existing contract with Red Bull that runs into 2028. He even claimed in an interview that he is actively participating with the engineers to develop the team’s race car for the next Championship campaign.

Seeing the level of commitment Max has to RBR, do you think he will leave for Mercedes anytime soon? Sare your comments below.