Toto Wolff says he regrets missing an opportunity to sign Max Verstappen to Mercedes during the early stages of the Dutchman's career.
Verstappen's rise in motorsport was nothing short of remarkable. Making his Formula 1 debut in 2015 at the tender age of 17 with Toro Rosso, he quickly captured the attention of the racing world with his raw speed, exceptional racecraft, and fearlessness on the track.
Verstappen owed his early entry in F1 to Red Bull's promise of providing the youngster with a seat at Toro Rosso when the energy drink company signed up the then F3 charger.
In the competitive world of Formula 1, talent scouting and securing promising drivers is crucial for a team's success. Yet Mercedes passed on the opportunity of signing up Verstappen.
The young gun's subsequent achievements and with Red Bull Racing, which included two world titles, have only amplified the regret felt by Wolff.
"I spoke to Jos [Verstappen] and Huub Rothengatter [Jos Verstappen’s manager] when they came to my office in Brackley and that must have been when Max was in karting or the end of his karting days just before Formula 3 [in 2014]," The Mercedes boss reconted.
"And then we spoke again when Max and Jos visited me in my house in Vienna. We spent a few hours discussing his future.
"Do I regret missing out on Max? Certainly. But it wasn’t an option back in the day.
"We had two drivers that I was extremely happy with, in Nico [Rosberg] and Lewis [Hamilton], and when Nico left, Valtteri [Bottas] was then the option and Max wasn’t even available."
Wolff also justified his decision at the time by the lack of conviction he felt towards Verstappen's potential based on the latter's performances in Formula 3, especially relative to the Austrian's then protégé Esteban Ocon.
"Back in the day there wasn't huge hype around Max, because Max and Van Amersfoort weren't winning the championship that year," Wolff added.
"Esteban won in a more competitive car. So the insiders knew that Max probably was in an inferior package and in his first year, and the insiders knew there was a very good one coming, but it wasn't clear that he was that good at that stage.
"You can only say when someone grows in F1 and matures that he is a true world champion - an outstanding one. Before we had Lewis and then Michael Schumacher and before that [Ayrton] Senna.
"Who is the next one? Was it clear that Max would step into these shoes? It wasn't clear back then."
While Mercedes has enjoyed immense success in F1 with Hamilton, the tantalizing prospect of having two of the sport's brightest talents competing under the same banner remains an opportunity lost.
But in hindsight, Wolff doubts that a Hamilton-Verstappen line-up at Mercedes would have been in the team's best interests.
"Would Max and Lewis have functioned? Maybe not," he said.
"And Lewis is a Mercedes guy since forever, so that hard question I never needed to ask myself for the organisation. Everything happens for a reason.
"But I had two drivers in the seats, no deal with a junior team, so it was clear that the option with Toro Rosso was what they needed to do. And they did well."
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