Steiner: Wolff ‘too smart’ to lure Max Verstappen to Mercedes

The Formula 1 paddock is always a swirling vortex of toxic rumors and hearsay, and right now, Max Verstappen is sitting dead center.

After losing the 2025 world championship fight to Lando Norris, the reigning four-time champion has watched his 2026 campaign dissolve into a nightmare.

Trapped in a sensitive, unruly RB22 and currently languishing in seventh place in the standings with a meager 76 points, Verstappen’s patience finally snapped at the British Grand Prix when his rear wing structurally failed, sparking a bitter, very public radio tirade.

Naturally, the rumor mill – already spinning wildly – immediately kicked into overdrive, linking the disgruntled Dutchman to a shock exit toward either Mercedes or McLaren. But former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner isn't buying the gossip.

Speaking on The Red Flags Podcast, the famously blunt Italian poured cold water on the drama, explaining that, as far as Mercedes is concerned, team boss and co-owner Toto Wolff simply has no logical reason to reach out to the Verstappen camp, despite having done so in the past.

The financial and emotional chaos

For Steiner, the transfer talk falls apart the moment you look at the cold, hard logistics. Teams capable of winning don’t just have vacant seats and tens of millions of dollars burning a hole in their pockets, nor do they want to throw a hand grenade into a stable garage.

Evaluating Verstappen’s actual options, Steiner laid out the reality:

“But I mean, where is he going? I mean, if he doesn't like Red Bull, there are places where he can go, but they don't have the money to pay him, and they don't have the car he wants,” he said.

The argument carries just as much weight when applied to McLaren. The Woking-based squad is flying high on its 2025 success, and disrupting the harmony of Team Papaya to accommodate Verstappen's astronomical wage demands and alpha-driver expectations would make little sense for Zak Brown.

Why Toto won't bite

The case against a Mercedes move is even more clear-cut. The Silver Arrows are currently dominating the 2026 season, with rookie sensation Kimi Antonelli leading the world championship at an incredible 179 points.

With George Russell providing rock-solid support on the other side of the garage, Brackley already holds all the cards.

“Why would Mercedes take him? Mercedes has got the next superstar and a very good driver in George,” Steiner pointed out, highlighting the absurdity of fixing something that isn't broken.

Bringing Verstappen into that ecosystem would not only drain Mercedes' financial reserves but could actively destroy the career trajectory of their new prodigy.

“So why would you spend more money to get Max in?” Steiner questioned.

“The only way Max would come in is if George leaves. He costs a lot more than George and would maybe unsettle Kimi. Why would he do that? And Toto is too smart to do that, in my opinion, and it costs a lot more.”

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Verstappen might be desperate to escape the technical regression at Milton Keynes, but according to Steiner, F1’s frontrunners are simply too clever to pay a premium just to invite chaos into their own houses.

For now, Verstappen’s next move remains one of F1’s biggest unanswered questions. But Steiner believes the smartest teams may decide that chasing the biggest name in the sport is not always the smartest business decision.

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