Toto Wolff continues to view Max Verstappen as the ideal replacement for seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. The Austrian has been courting the Dutch champion for months, although Verstappen seems set to stay with Red Bull for now. Meanwhile, Andrea Kimi Antonelli has yet to receive a contract offer. Wolff is confident that he needs to bide his time.
Please note, all the times mentioned are in UST.
“Max Verstappen, it seems, is currently the strongest driver,” Wolff once again confirmed. “That’s why the door is always open for him.” However, the three-time world champion, who currently leads the championship with Red Bull, is not likely to make a transfer anytime soon. “At the moment, there is nothing to suggest that he will leave Red Bull,” said the Mercedes executive. “The RB20 is still the benchmark and he is miles ahead in the championship. Why would he want to flirt with another team at all?”
The Case of Antonelli
So, what about Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the Italian racing prodigy who has long been linked to a contract with Mercedes? According to Toto Wolff, the young Formula 2 driver is not having the best season with PREMA, although for him, the tests with Mercedes are decisive. “When you look at Kimi, you see that his team has not really found a good base this year,” he told Sky Sports. “He is seventh, but teammate Oliver Bearman – who is clearly a very good driver – is fourteenth.”
“What Antonelli does in a Formula 1 car is the most important thing for us,” Wolff confirmed. “And as for the rest of the driver’s market, instinctively I feel that we should not rush – I don’t really know what it is myself!” During the summer break, Mercedes wants to really look at who will join George Russell next year.
