Toto Wolff is trying to piece together the potentially explosive partnership of Max Verstappen and George Russell driving for Mercedes.
If he pulled it off, Wolff would probably see it as a two-finger salute to his own paddock nemesis Christian Horner, boss of Verstappen’s Red Bull team.
And on Friday in Austria ahead of this weekend’s race, Wolff publicly left open the possibility of a Verstappen-Russell pairing despite their collision in Spain earlier in the month, saying: ‘I can imagine every line-up. I had Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton fighting for a world championship, so everything afterwards is easy.’
Wolff could have ruled out poaching Verstappen but deliberately chose not to do so. He is keeping several plates spinning, one of which concerns Russell signing a contract extension at Mercedes beyond this year.
If the Briton finally re-signs, and that seems likely despite a process curiously protracted, it would leave Wolff needing to relocate his protégé driver, 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli, to make space for Verstappen – for I am told it would be Antonelli, not Russell, who would go.
True, Antonelli has impressed in his debut season and claimed his first podium in Canada a fortnight ago, but he has been dwarfed by Russell’s achievements as the driver of the season – consistent, fast and pushing himself to the edge of the title frame, 62 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Mercedes’ George Russell have become the fiercest of rivals
Verstappen (right) and Russell (left) collided during the Spanish Grand Prix earlier this month
But Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has refused to rule out making Verstappen and Russell partners
As for Mercedes’ interest in Verstappen, it clearly continues. Russell said as much this week – ‘ongoing’ was his understanding of a courtship that started after last year’s Red Bull scandal involving Horner, who was cleared by two internal inquiries of coercive behaviour towards a female employee.
Verstappen’s father Jos is particularly keen on the quadruple world champion leaving his existing team. Max is in less of a rush and may stick at Red Bull for another season to assess how next year’s new regulations alter the pecking order.
Wolff is stalling on Russell’s new deal for reasons that are not obvious, though perhaps to keep him keen. But might the delay not undermine his star driver’s confidence? ‘Our sport is pressure, constant pressure,’ countered Wolff.
As Wolff knows, this race in Austria is a particularly sensitive one for his nemesis Horner. Red Bull’s top brass are in the paddock, and wafting up uncertainty over the future of their star driver, and thus destabilising Horner, is another ingredient in the mix.