Jordan reveals: “Wolff, Källenius and Radcliffe: a meeting to take Verstappen”

Mercedes has not yet announced who will replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025. It is likely that the Italian Kimi Antonelli will take the wheel of the Star next year, yet Toto Wolff continues to keep the trail hot for Max Verstappen. Bringing the Dutchman (remembering that his contract with Red Bull expires in 2028) to Brackley starting from next season seems unlikely, but the operation may not be impossible in the more distant future. The latest news on the matter was given by Eddie Jordan, who declared to Formula for Success that he had learned of a meeting that took place in Monaco between Toto Wolff, Ola Källenius (CEO of Mercedes) and Jim Ratcliffe (owner of Ineos). “Together they have prepared a fund to cover Max’s possible salary,” Jordan declared.

TOTO’S COURTSHIP

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Wolff’s desire to snatch Verstappen from his long-time rival Christian Horner (Red Bull team principal) has never been hidden. Since the start of the season, when the first internal problems emerged in the Milton Keynes team, the Mercedes team principal began to publicly court Verstappen. There would be no better profile, after all, to replace Lewis Hamilton than that of the best driver currently on the grid. Even if Eddie Jordan himself, who reported the news of the three-way meeting to bring Verstappen to Mercedes, would choose another path: “I have always wanted young drivers, because they are more convenient: I would focus on Oscar Piastri”. According to Jordan, Verstappen would be aware of the meeting that took place in Monaco: “Max was aware of it, but I’m not sure he was present at the meeting. This certainly gives an indication of the strong commitment of Toto and his team to get Max on board sooner or later, so we should not be surprised to see him in a Mercedes in the coming years”. Imagining Verstappen in Mercedes would have been almost impossible in 2021, but in Formula 1 the balances and relationships change quickly. After all, how many would have imagined Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari before last winter?