Max Verstappen continues to be linked with a surprise move to Mercedes despite the Dutchman being tied down to Red Bull until 2028. Toto Wolff has made no secret of his admiration for Verstappen as he prepares for life without Lewis Hamilton, who will leave the team to join Ferrari next season.
Wolff recently named Verstappen as one of four drivers Mercedes were interested in to succeed Hamilton next year. He has a long-term contract at Red Bull but is thought to have a break clause that would allow him to leave early if Helmut Marko departs.
It remains to be seen if anything will come of Mercedes’ pursuit of Verstappen as they step up their search for a new driver over the coming months. For now, all of their focus will be on this weekend’s Japanese Grand Prix and improving on their disastrous result in Australia, with both of their drivers failing to finish in Melbourne a fortnight ago.
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