2023-06-13 12:06:28
When it came to Max Verstappen which way to get into Formula 1, he naturally also spoke to Mercedes. In the end, however, the Dutchman opted for Red Bull or Toro Rosso. The story has since been told, Verstappen is now 25, drives for Red Bull Racing, is a two-time world champion and on his way to his third title.
When asked if he regretted not getting Verstappen back then, team boss Toto Wolff revealed in an interview with ESPN that he spoke to the Verstappens twice before they signed for Red Bull.
“I have Rothengatter with Jos and Huub [Jos Verstappens Manager während seiner F1-Karriere] spoken when they came into my office in Brackley and this must have been around the time Max was karting or towards the end of his karting days [2013]shortly before Formula 3 [2014]. And then we spoke once more when Max and Jos visited me at my house in Vienna. We spent a few hours discussing his future.”
In addition, it was not entirely clear to Wolff how good Verstappen really is. This is of course due to the fact that young drivers have by no means reached their full potential, nor is further development completely foreseeable.
“I don’t think there was much hype regarding Max at the time because Max and Van Amersfoort didn’t win the championship that year,” said Wolff. «Esteban Ocon won in a more competitive car. So insiders knew Max was probably in a worse package and in his freshman year, and insiders knew a very good driver was coming, but it wasn’t clear he was that good at the time.”
Wolff continues: “One can only say that when someone grows and matures in Formula 1, he is a real world champion – an outstanding one. Before that we had Lewis and then Michael Schumacher and before that [Ayrton] senna Who’s next? Was it clear that Max would follow in those footsteps? It wasn’t clear at the time.”
But does he regret not having gotten Verstappen? “Definitely,” says Wolff: “But that wasn’t an option at the time. We had two drivers in Nico and Lewis who I was very happy with, and as Nico [Ende 2016] went, war Valtteri [Bottas] the option, and Max wasn’t even available.”
Added to this was Hamilton’s general presence at Mercedes. ‘Would Max and Lewis have worked? Maybe not. And Lewis has always been a Mercedes guy, so I never had to ask myself that difficult question. Everything happens for a reason. But I had two riders, no deal with a junior team, so it was clear that the option with Toro Rosso was what they had to do. And they did well, »said Wolff.
Did he then try once more to guide Verstappen to Mercedes? “After that we always had friendly contact, but never talked regarding driving,” says Wolff.
Spanien-GP, Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya
01. Max Verstappen (NL), Red Bull Racing, 1:27:57,860 h
02. Lewis Hamilton (GB), Mercedes, +24,090 sec
03. George Russell (GB), Mercedes, +32,389
04. Sergio Perez (MEX), Red Bull Racing, +35,812
05. Carlos Sainz (E), Ferrari, +45,698
06. Lance Stroll (CDN), Aston Martin, +1:03,320 min
07. Fernando Alonso (E), Aston Martin, +1:04,127
08. Esteban Ocon (F), Alpine, +1:09,242
09. Guanyu Zhou (RCH), Alfa Romeo, +1:11,878
10. Pierre Gasly (F), Alpine, 1:13,530
11. Charles Leclerc (MC), Ferrari, 1:14,419
12. Yuki Tsunoda (J), AlphaTauri, 1:15, 416
13. Oscar Piastri (AUS), McLaren, +1 lap
14. Nyck de Vries (NL), AlphaTauri, +1 Runde
15. Nico Hulkenberg (D), Haas, +1 lap
16. Alex Albon (T), Williams, +1 Runde
17. Lando Norris (GB), McLaren, +1 Lap
18. Kevin Magnussen (DK), Haas, +1 Round
19. Valtteri Bottas (FIN), Alfa Romeo, +1 Runde
20. Logan Sargeant (USA), Williams, +1 Runde
Championship status (following 7 of 22 races)
driver
01. Verstappen 170 points
02. Pérez 117
03. Alonso 99
04. Hamilton 87
05. Russell 65
06. Sainz 58
07. Leclerc 42
08. Stroll 35
09.Ocon 25
10. Gasly 145
11. Norris 12
12. Hulkenberg 6
13. Plates 5
14. Bottas 4
15. Zhou 4
16. Tsunoda 2
17. Magnussen 2
18. Albon 1
19. De Vries 0
20. Sargeant 0
Constructors’ Cup
01. Red Bull Racing 287 Punkte
02. Mercedes 152
03. Aston Martin 134
04. Ferrari 100
05. Alpine 40
06. McLaren 17
07. Haas 8
08. Alfa Romeo 68
09. Alpha Tauri 2
10. Williams 1
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