Wolff admits ‘flirting’ with Verstappen ‘destabilizing’ for Mercedes

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has opened up about the whirlwind of speculation that surrounded the team’s 2026 driver plans – including his unexpected “flirtation” with Max Verstappen that he insists happened purely by chance.

For months, the F1 world buzzed with rumors as the Mercedes chief explored whether the Dutchman could wiggle out of his Red Bull contract via a performance clause. But, in hindsight, Wolff confessed it wasn’t exactly a calculated chase.

In the end, the Brackley squad confirmed its unchanged line-up for 2026, with George Russell and rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli. However, Wolff described the months of uncertainty as “destabilising for everyone” but believes lessons have been learned.

“The truth is, you’ve got to learn from the mistake,” Wolff told Sky Sports F1. “I think there wasn’t any on-purpose flirting, it was just a coincidence.

“It was clear that you had to have that conversation, and we ended up in the same place in the summer, which obviously didn’t look good and is destabilising for everyone.

“I think that is in the past now, everything is clear, and we move forward.”

Transparency, Lessons, and Loyalty

While Wolff’s comments sparked plenty of intrigue, the Austrian maintained that his approach to the driver market was “the most straightforward and fair” he could have taken — even if it occasionally made life complicated.

Asked in the team principals’ press conference on Friday whether he had faced any conflicting moments while juggling 2026 negotiations, Wolff replied:

“Being open and transparent is the best path forward. Sometimes it bites you a bit. And when you look back, maybe certain events could have been better – coincidences that happened. But I’ve always done it in the most straightforward and fair way.

“I stand by the driver choices – by George and Kimi. Like I said, this is the full focus, and that was always the aim, throughout the more tricky part over the summer.”

After months of speculation – and with Verstappen ultimately unavailable due to Red Bull contract restrictions – Mercedes’ final decision to retain its current pairing was, in Wolff’s words, “pretty much a no-brainer.”

Faith in Russell and Antonelli

Wolff explained that keeping Russell and Antonelli was always part of Mercedes’ long-term vision, calling the decision one that was “taken from the get-go.”

“It was always the decision that we took from the get-go,” he said. “It was the lineup that we chose last year. We knew that George can hold up the leadership role in there. It’s been really great, and Kimi is in a learning year. So going forward, it was pretty much a no-brainer.

“When you look at [Antonelli’s] junior record, his personality, there's no doubt in me or within the team that it was the wrong decision to take and give him the opportunity.”

Antonelli has impressed lately with a string of top-five finishes after a rocky mid-season stretch, and Wolff believes the young Italian’s growth will continue as Formula 1 enters a new technical era in 2026.

“You have five or six races to go – tracks that he doesn't know,” Wolff said. “Austin is one of them. I'm sure we're going to see some very good results. We're going to see trickier sessions and trickier weekends.

“But all of that is being reset with the start of next season. He will have seen the tracks. The cars are new for every driver – that’s a big factor.

“These guys have been around these cars for a while, and he will have seen how to best manage pressure from the media and all of the stakeholders. That was the aim for this season – to do exactly that.”

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