The ‘Max Verstappen folder’ It still doesn’t close completely. And even the driver himself assured at the last Austrian F1 GP that he will continue with the Red Bull F1 team in 2025, and that Toto Wolff, recently almost released the signing of Max, it seems that everything remains open.
Wolff told MD before the British GP that “Verstappen is likely to stay at Red Bull for 2025, but that doesn’t mean things won’t change.” And in Zandvoort, a few days ago, he revealed that he spoke with the driver, his father and his representation team in Monaco, the city where Toto and Max live.
Wolff admitted that after speaking with Verstappen, he decided to choose his driving line-up for 2025, which should mean a promotion for young Andrea Kimi Antonelli, although this left a small door open for any last minute changes. And it explains that, so far, although it has been announced that Kimi Antonelli will participate in Monza Free Practice 1 with a Mercedes, there has been no announcement about his promotion to F1 in 2025.
And then, it leaves the option of Verstappen coming in 2026 more open.year key due to a change in engine regulationssomething about which there is a rumor in the paddock that Mercedes’ 2026 engine will be the best.
“What I like about Max Verstappen, Raymond and Jos is that we speak clearly. We don’t have to put pressure on each other. We’ve been like this for a long time; we’ve already made the drivers’ decision for next year. That’s I mean devote all our efforts”, He argued, suggesting that his signing should not come until 2025.
“Hopefully that will be our lineup for 2026 and beyond. But that doesn’t close the door on Max being with us in 2026 or beyond, because we want to continue to keep all our options open the same way we do So “What I enjoyed about our conversations was that no one was hiding anything.”added Wolff.
“Somehow I have that feeling that Mercedes and Verstappen’s paths will cross. But I don’t know when it will happen. If in 2026, if three years later, I still don’t know.”he added.
The words of Helmut Marko
It didn’t take long for word to come from Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko, who would be the opposite of Christian Horner in the fierce internal battle that took place at the start of the season in the energy drinks team.
When Marko was asked about Toto Wolff’s words in an interview with ‘Inside Line F1’, the Austrian sparked doubts and rumours.
“If Toto didn’t want to bring Max to his team, we wouldn’t call him a good team boss. I think all the top teams would love to have Verstappen in their team,” he argued.
“The truth is that everyone lives in Monaco and it’s a very quiet place when it’s not hosting a race. There aren’t many cafes in Monaco, so it’s natural that people bump into each other from time to time.”he said about possible negotiations between Max and Wolff in the summer.
And he concludes with another of his pearls: “His father, Jos Verstappen, prefers Toto Wolff to Christian Horner. But Max is focused on winning the championship with the team”argument.
In addition, he recalled that it is normal to have uncertainty, especially because of the massive change of machines that will take place in 2026, something that could completely change the current order of the grid.
“We have to look ahead. In 2026 the regulations will change and nobody knows who will have a competitive engine. In 2014 (last big change in engine regulations), for example, we suddenly found ourselves with a weak engine, at least 50 horsepower behind our rivals so we don’t know what awaits us.”he finished.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
