Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull) would be at the top of the list of possible replacements for the seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025, if he were available, according to the head of the German team, Toto Wolff, informs Reuters.
Verstappen, the world title winner for the past three seasons, is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, but his future with the Austrian team is in doubt due to a breakdown in relations between his father Jos and director Christian Horner.
Mercedes will lose Hamilton at the end of this season, when the British will leave for Ferrari, where he will take the place of the Spaniard Carlos Sainz Jr, who won the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“We have a vacant seat, the only one at the top teams, unless Max decides to leave, and then the seat will no longer be vacant for us,” Wolff told Fox Sports Australia, in an interview in Melbourne .
The interview, conducted after qualifying, was not widely picked up at the time, but the Mercedes boss’ comments later attracted attention.
Asked if Verstappen would be the number one choice, Wolff replied: ”Yes. You see what his performance levels are, but I wouldn’t want to neglect the others.”
Wolff tried to recruit Verstappen when he was a teenager before he signed with Red Bull, but was unable to offer him a place in Formula 1.
The Austrian also said that he has a very good relationship with Jos Verstappen and that they met then in Vienna to discuss a possible collaboration in the future, but the Italian driver already had an offer from Red Bull at that time.
“It’s kind of a relationship that has to happen at some stage, but we don’t know when,” he said, when asked if Max Verstappen’s recruitment could come full circle.
Wolff also mentioned two-time world champion Fernando Alonso, Carlos Sainz Jr and Mercedes-backed Formula 2 debutant Kimi Antonelli as possible options.
“Obviously there is Fernando, who is very exciting, and Carlos, who is very good. So there are a few options,” he pointed out.
Max Verstappen did not rule out a long-term move to Mercedes, but stated in Australia that he feels comfortable at Red Bull, his “second family”, and that it would be a great story to end his Formula 1 career alongside by the Austrian team.
Mercedes, which dominated the Formula 1 World Championship between 2014 and 2021, failed to win a race last season and faced a double abandonment in Melbourne, the first since 2018.
