Mercedes boss Toto Wolff quipped Max Verstappen had “lots of opportunities” to look at its car in Formula 1’s British Grand Prix amid his strive to sign the Dutchman.
Wolff’s desire to acquire Verstappen’s signature has been well-documented since it was announced Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes to move to Ferrari in 2025.
But while Verstappen has been adamant he will remain with Red Bull next term, Wolff has continued to make public pitches in an attempt to persuade his main target.
The Austrian has remained staunch in his stance that Mercedes must deliver a more competitive car and it has since taken successive victories in Austria and Britain.
Hamilton’s record-breaking ninth win at Silverstone marked a poignant moment as the German marque prevailed on merit against Verstappen’s Red Bull and McLaren.
However, Wolff has urged caution despite Mercedes appearing a genuine contender at the top again, citing that his focus remains on more improvements to the W15.
Asked whether Mercedes’ progress had deciding who will partner with George Russell in 2025 harder, Wolff responded: “I don’t think… It doesn’t influence our thinking.
“I’ve always said we need a car that goes quick, and when we have a car that goes quick, we put the driver in, and we get it interesting for our main drivers.
“In a way, I think we need to stay calm, and continue the season, continue to focus on the car, and then look at whether the options are still the same.
“But it’s not like there’s changing everything upside down.”
However, Wolff did take the chance to hint that Verstappen, who came home second behind Hamilton, would have taken notice of Mercedes’ continuous progression.
Asked whether its recent outing would heighten interest in the seat, Wolff replied: “I don’t know. He [Verstappen] has lots of opportunities to look at the car in the race.
Verstappen claimed in Austria that Red Bull couldn’t disregard being caught up this term as “normal” and he experienced a damage limitation weekend at Silverstone.
The three-time champion was unable to maintain pace with the Mercedes and McLaren cars in the mixed conditions but came alive on the return to slicks at the end.
“Well, over one lap, it didn’t look too bad,” Verstappen said. “I think it was just pace in the race. We just didn’t have the pace.
“I couldn’t follow the deg of the others. And that’s something, of course, that we need to understand.”
