Former F1 driver Jacques Villeneuve does not think that Toto Wolff really wants to add Max Verstappen to his Mercedes team. According to the Canadian, the Austrian team boss would only want to put Red Bull Racing under water, and Villeneuve therefore does not see Verstappen leaving for the German racing stable.
Wolff has made no secret of the fact that he has Verstappen high on his list to replace Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes in 2025. The Austrian team boss even wants to wait with his choice of next year’s Mercedes drivers until Verstappen is sure where he wants to go. “I certainly want to wait before appointing a new driver, because I want to wait for Verstappen,” Wolff recently told De Telegraaf. ‘A few months ago I didn’t expect that we would get this opportunity. We knew Lewis could leave, but it now means we have choices.
However, former driver Jacques Villeneuve does not entirely believe that Wolff wants Verstappen as a driver for his team. The world champion thinks that the Mercedes team boss mainly makes his statements to get under the skin of competitor Red Bull. “I can’t imagine that Toto Wolff wants Max (Verstappen, ed.),” Villeneuve told the British medium Express. “The only way he would consider the idea would just be to irritate Red Bull.”
The Canadian therefore does not think that Verstappen will soon leave for the German racing team. “I don’t see him at Mercedes because they lost the championship to Red Bull and Max,” said Villeneuve. ‘It would certainly not be because he really wants Max (for Verstappen to switch, ed.). It would have more to do with the fact that he wants to tease Red Bull.’
Is Red Bull heading for a turbulent season?
However, Villeneuve believes that Red Bull will face turbulent times within the team throughout the season, despite the team starting the 2024 campaign strongly with two wins for the Dutchman. “There are a lot of personal feuds at the moment, both inside and outside Red Bull,” said the Canadian driver. ‘It is a mess.’
