Aug.22 (GMM) Toto Wolff gave a notably awkward response at Zandvoort when asked about Max Verstappen’s new Red Bull contract, despite the Dutchman’s long-running links with Mercedes finally appearing to be over.
“What can I say about it?” the Mercedes boss laughed when Viaplay raised Verstappen’s deal through 2030.
“I’m sure Raymond (Vermeulen) did a very good job. “And, and, and… let’s see,” Wolff added.
He then joked that Mercedes still has access to Verstappen through his expanding program outside Formula 1. “We have the best of Max,” said the Austrian.
“He’s driving a Mercedes in the really important races, on the Nordschleife. Maybe there will be some more races. He remains in the Mercedes family.”
Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies also joked about the long-running saga about whether Verstappen would trigger an exit clause rather than actually extend his contract.
“The last thing he said when we agreed on everything was, ‘You see, guys, I’ve always told you I wanted to stay’,” said the Frenchman.
At Mercedes, George Russell insists the Verstappen speculation never made him fear for his own seat. “That’s just the nature of the sport,” said the Zandvoort sprint pole sitter.
“Drivers talk with different teams, teams talk with different drivers. But, yeah, my seat never felt under threat, and I felt 100 percent security with Toto and the team, and that obviously now continues.”
Kimi Antonelli, meanwhile, says he would not have been intimidated by Verstappen arriving.
“I wouldn’t have minded having him as a teammate,” said the championship leader.
“It would have been very tough and demanding for me, but also stimulating, because competing against the best is a way to understand your own level,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Who knows, maybe in the future.”
For now, the championship leader is alongside Russell, who returned from the summer break with sprint pole at Zandvoort.
Former Haas boss Gunther Steiner believes Antonelli is already strong enough that Mercedes should resist intervening in the title fight with team orders.
“You can see that he doesn’t really need to learn anything more from George,” he said.
“Kimi is ready to win. Logically, things can explode, no matter how much you try to manage it.”
“In this case, I think George is more likely to explode than Kimi.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen himself may not be feeling completely well at his home GP.
Viaplay analyst Giedo van der Garde said Verstappen looked pale and unwell on Thursday, while Christijan Albers noted that several sponsor and media commitments were cancelled.
“I don’t think he’s fit,” Van der Garde said.
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