Max Verstappen has made feelings clear on Mercedes move after Wolff hint | F1 | Sport

Hamilton described his decision as a “leap of faith” to fulfil his “dream » of driving in Ferrari red next year, when he will join Charles Leclerc. But he has left Mercedes with a big hole to fill, which they were not expecting after the 39-year-old penned a new deal with the team in August.

Their dream replacement would be Verstappen. The Dutchman has won the last three titles and claimed a record 19 race wins last season. He is, however, tied to Red Bull until 2028 and it would take some extraordinary persuasion for him to leave Christian Horner’s team.

It was similarly deemed unlikely that Hamilton would part ways with Mercedes, but Wolff has hinted that he will be aiming for the best driver possible to pair with Russell.

Asked if Verstappen could be on his way to Mercedes, Wolff replied: “We will always try to have the best possible combination in our car and seek out these discussions. You can see how quickly the situation can change. At the same time, we respect contracts that exist.

“Drivers always want to be in the fastest car. It’s up to us to demonstrate that we can build the fastest car – not just in the short and medium term, but also in the long term. This will then lead to opportunities. The ball is in our court.”

Verstappen also hinted that he would not be totally against the prospect of joining Mercedes. « That’s indeed a very different environment, » Verstappen told De Telegraph when asked about a potential move to the Silver Arrows one day.