Verstappen catches the eye but Mercedes chief Wolff rules out 'flirting' with F1 new generation

By Sports Desk March 02, 2021

Toto Wolff admitted Max Verstappen is a driver who will be "on everybody's radar" but has vowed Mercedes will not rush to seduce the Red Bull star.

Mercedes team principal Wolff will be aware that reports have linked Verstappen with a possible future move to the Silver Arrows, possibly as a long-term replacement for Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton.

For now, though, Hamilton is going nowhere, having signed a contract for the upcoming 2021 season, and the British driver may yet remain for years to come.

After landing a seventh drivers' title last year to match Michael Schumacher's F1 record, there is no driver that Mercedes would take above Hamilton in the present time.

Wolff said: "The symbiosis that we have in the relationship, it's always that we have a mutual understanding of what we want to do in the future. That will be also the case in the discussions with Lewis going forward.

"Max is certainly an outstanding young driver that will be on everybody's radar in the future, but we are not flirting outside before we have a clear understanding with our two drivers."

Verstappen has finished third in the championship in each of the last two seasons, with the 23-year-old winning races at Silverstone and Abu Dhabi during the 2020 campaign.

He tallied 214 points to finish just nine points behind Mercedes' runner-up Valtteri Bottas in the championship.

Quoted widely after Mercedes unveiled their new W12 car on Tuesday, Wolff underlined how Mercedes are not blinkered about the team's future and the potential for a change of direction.

Bottas is also due to reach the end of his contract after the new campaign, meaning Mercedes currently have flexibility should they wish to reshape their driver line-up for 2022 and beyond.

"Our first discussions are going to be with Valtteri and Lewis in respecting our values, integrity and loyalty - but on the other side the young drivers are the future," Wolff said.

"Therefore we need to consider how we want to set ourselves up for the years beyond."

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    Lewis Hamilton said watching Ferrari and McLaren overhaul Red Bull in the Constructors' Championship has been "quite incredible" ahead of his move to the Italian team. 

    Red Bull appeared to be set for another dominant year on track after Max Verstappen won seven of the first 10 races, with team-mate Sergio Perez also securing four podiums. 

    However, Red Bull endured a mid-season struggle, with Verstappen failing to win in 10 races before his stunning wet-weather display at the Brazilian Grand Prix last time out. 

    The Dutchman is on the cusp of a fourth world championship after title rival Lando Norris could only manage sixth in Interlagos, leaving him 62 points behind in the standings. 

    But going into the final three races of the season, Red Bull find themselves third in the constructors' championship, 44 points behind leaders McLaren and 13 adrift of Ferrari. 

    Before Verstappen's victory in Brazil, Ferrari had claimed back-to-back victories in the United States and Mexico. 

    Charles Leclerc, Hamilton's team-mate for the Scuderia next season, won in Austin to emerge victorious for the eighth time in the competition. 

    That triumph was then followed up by a win at the Autrodromo Hermanos Rodriguez by Carlos Sainz, who will make way for Hamilton and join Williams next season. 

    And Ferrari's recent displays on track have Hamilton excited about the potential of challenging for an eighth world championship next season. 

    "I'm very interested in my future, of course," said Hamilton. "And so, in that respect, keeping an eye, yeah. Watching everything that happens."

    "If you look at somewhere like maybe China already, the Red Bull was like a second ahead.

    "And it's been quite incredible to see the McLaren rise and then the Ferrari in the last few races, to see their progress and just trying to keep an eye on everyone's car and what they're changing and what they're adding.

    "You know, we all watch the video, all the drivers, we all watch the onboard laps and we're always trying to see where we can gain time.

    "And there's some cars that just react differently and better or worse in certain areas.

    "And you're trying to figure out how you can find that within either your balance or get the team to develop the car in that direction."

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    He made early exits in both qualifying sessions and started the race at Interlagos from 15th on the grid.

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    His performance was made to look worse as team-mate George Russell had been battling for the lead but narrowly missed out on a podium place as he finished fourth.

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    But he was left frustrated in Brazil, expressing his disappointment with the car.

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    Lando Norris said Max Verstappen benefitted from a rule "no one agrees with" as he won a dramatic Sao Paulo Grand Prix to leave the McLaren's title hopes hanging by a thread.

    Verstappen surged to a terrific victory from 17th on the grid in Brazil, with Norris faltering after starting on pole.

    Norris and Mercedes' George Russell – who were vying for the lead – both pitted on lap 29, but that strategy backfired as the red flag was shown following a crash involving Franco Colapinto.

    With the race suspended, Verstappen was also able to change tires for the restart, negating Norris' advantage from pitting as the world champion raced to a commanding victory.

    Norris had cut Verstappen's drivers' championship lead to 44 points by winning Saturday's sprint race but now sits 62 points adrift with just three races of the season remaining. 

    The Brit refused to hit out at McLaren's strategy after the race, though, putting his struggles down to bad luck. 

    "I have faith in the team in what they are saying and they have trust in me," he told Sky Sports F1. 

     

    "It was just unlucky. I don't care about the hindsight side of things, that's luck for them, nothing more.

    "They got lucky on a rule that no one agrees with. Probably they agreed with it today but every driver has disagreed with it in the past.

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    "Just a bit unlucky today, nothing more. Of course, disappointing. Max drove well. He got a bit lucky but that's life."

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