During the new season of Drive to Survive, Toto Wolff revealed a pact he made with Lewis Hamilton not to approach Max Verstappen about joining Mercedes.
During the dramatic 2021 Formula 1 season, the two drivers formed one of the most intense rivalries seen in the sport. This tension extended to the Mercedes and Red Bull squads, and team principals Toto Wolff and Christian Horner were equally at odds.
Tensions boiled over when the two collided during the British Grand Prix. The Dutch driver crashed out of the race in an impact that measured 51Gs, and Hamilton went on to win the race.
“Since my Silverstone crash, I’ve been struggling with visibility problems, especially on undulating circuits or those with lots of advertising boards along the side of the track,” the Red Bull driver admitted in July of 2024, reflecting on the incident.
He won the championship that year, in a controversial finish at the 2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after a safety car restart caused chaos. Since then, regardless of the fact that Verstappen had nothing to do with the goings on of that race, with that being instead down to FIA race director Michael Masi, there has been a natural rivalry between the two, only amplified by the likes of Drive to Survive.
Coming off yet another disappointing season for the Brackley outfit in 2023, Hamilton confirmed his switch to Ferrari at the beginning of 2024. With an empty seat to fill alongside George Russell, Wolff had some work to do. During Season 7 of the series, Wolff and his wife, Susie Wolff, can be seen discussing whether Verstappen could be a viable option to replace the outgoing champion.
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Ferrari
“You don’t think Max is an option?” Susie asked her husband.
“I think he is,” Toto said. “I haven’t spoken to him because I promised Lewis I wouldn’t talk to him but I will have the conversation now.”
Fernando Alonso was also an option to replace Hamilton, but his age was seen as too much of an issue.
“Fernando [Alonso], I mean, race pace, racecraft is still very good,” Toto confirmed, but Susie responded with a realistic view of what Mercedes is looking to become. “You’re not going to be starting a new era with a long contract with Fernando, it’s an interim.”
Carlos Sainz, the Ferrari driver whom Hamilton replaced, was also a consideration for the team chief, but he eventually moved to Williams beside Alex Albon.
Mercedes eventually landed on Andrea Kimi Antonelli, confirming him for the 2025 seat at just 18 years old making him the youngest driver in the team’s history.
“I don’t feel like his replacement,” Antonelli admitted to BBC Sport. “I just feel like a Mercedes F1 driver.
“But it’s such a great opportunity. I am really grateful for the trust and opportunity Mercedes gave me. But at the same time, it is a big responsibility as well, because I am racing for Mercedes, top team, and so they’ve got some expectations as well, of course. I am just going to try to make the best out of this.”
