Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton have attended an event in New York in the run up to the Miami Grand Prix. They were at a Manhattan partner occasion where WhatsApp projected a race car emoji onto the Empire State Building lit up in green.

Yet the conversation quickly returned to the hot topic of Max Verstappen potentially leaving red Bull Racing. Toto Wolff has previously made it clear he would love to have Verstappen racing for Mercedes, and even joked they had a role for the Dutch driver’s mentor, Dr. Helmut Marko.

 

 

Wolff courts Max for Mercedes

Speaking after qualifying at the Australian Grand Prix, the Mercedes boss was asked by Fox Sports about the vacant seat left by Lewis Hamilton leaving for Ferrari next year.

“We have a slot free, the only one in the top teams — unless Max decides he goes and then the slot is not going to be free with us anymore.” This seemingly confident statement over where Max would go if he left Red Bull has been one of many made in recent weeks by Wolff.

Asked if Verstappen would be the number one pick, Wolff replied: “Yes. You see what his performance levels are but I wouldn’t want to discount the other ones too.” Toto then taunted Red Bull by suggesting Dr. Helmut Marko was welcome at Mercedes too and could be appointed to an executive role similar to the one Nikki Lauda held with the team.

“We’re missing our old mascot anyway,” smiled Wolff during an interview with Austrian broadcaster ORF. “Then we’ll just take Helmut. He’s the right age. He doesn’t have a red cap, but then he’ll come to us.”

Horner dismissed Marko claims ahead of Miami GP

 

 

 

Toto in hypocritical call for privacy

Wolff went on to state Red Bull would suffer should they part company with Marko: “Helmut is not a child of sadness and was – or is – our favourite enemy. But he is a real racer. If they lose Helmut, it will certainly be a loss for Red Bull and for the team.”

Reports emanating from Germany this week claim Verstappen’s father Jos and manager Raymond Vermeulen would meet Mercedes team co-owners Wolff, Ineos boss Jim Ratcliffe and Mercedes Benz CEO Ola Kallenius following the Grand Prix in Miami. When asked about it as the Empire State Building went green, Toto gave this rather hypocritical response.

“No, that’s one of the rumours. People make up meetings, make up what’s happening with the drivers but these things should be behind closed doors and everything that’s been out there was not really the right thing.”

The Mercedes boss is rather locking the gate after the horse has bolted given his own weekly touts in the media aimed at attracting interest from Verstappen. Toto missed out on signing Verstappen as a teenager and with Hamilton and Rosberg going at it hammer and tongues for Mercedes, Red Bull snatched up the young Dutchman who looked at home in F1 from the age of just 17.

Hamilton ‘tinkering’ hinders Mercedes development programme

 

 

 

Newey says he’s “comfortable” at RBR

Internal divisions in the Red Bull organisation this year have led to a range of rumours suggesting the team is breaking up. This week the German media reported confidently that Adrian Newey is about to announce his departure from the world champion team.

Yet the premise for these stories is always that Adrian Newey is somewhat upset by the goings on around the Red Bull team boss who was accused and then cleared of “inappropriate behaviour” by a female employee based in Milton Keynes.

The guru designer of F1 cars stated less than four months ago on the “Formula for Success” podcast that while he “admired” Ferrari he was “comfortable” at RBR and the idea of him leaving the team would be like walking out on your family.

“The teams I’ve worked for, I’ve hugely enjoyed and of course Red Bull because that’s a team I’ve been at, more or less, from the start,” Newey said.

Jos Verstappen confirms other offers made to Max

 

 

 

Like “walking out on your family” says Newey

“It’s a team that I’ve been very centrally involved in developing the engineering side of the team, so it’s a team I kind of feel comfortable with. We all know how we work.

“I suppose to change now – I’m not saying I would never, ever change because you should never say that – but it would be like walking out on your family, because that’s what it’s become,” concluded the RB designer.

Toto Wolff was also asked about the Newey leaving Red Bull rumours from Germany, though on this matter the Mercedes boss was less controversial.

“Adrian Newey is an iconic engineer in Formula One with a great track record and again, also there are so many people talking about what he eventually might do and whether he leaves Red Bull or not,” observed Wolff.

“I’m just looking at it like a fan and watching that space.”

Horner says FIA “listened” about “Frankenstein cars”

 

 

 

Mercedes upgrades for Miami

Lewis Hamilton is set to do a demo run in an F1 car on fifth avenue today before heading down to the warmth of Miami, Florida for this weekends Grand Prix. In terms of the car Mercedes are bringing to the USA, the W15 will receive upgrades though Mercedes are thin lipped at present on exactly what is new.

When asked about how the upgrades will benefit the performance of the W15, Wolff was coy: “We don’t really know what to expect because it’s been a tricky season so far. Let’s see what the stopwatch says.”

Lewis Hamilton has been forbidden from making wild setup changes fro Miami onwards, as team technical director James Allison politely revealed in the team debrief after China.

“I think we would be a little more rounded and say we should have actually encouraged more strongly that he [Lewis] was pursuing a programme a bit more like George’s, so that’s our mistake,” said Allison. Clearly a mistake the team will now avoid.

Report Mercedes & Verstappen… “biggest deal in motorsport history”

 

 

 

Audi boss hits out at Mark

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