Mercedes chief Toto Wolff has broken his silence on the possibility of signing Max Verstappen, as he confirmed George Russell and Kimi Antonelli are the ‘absolute priority’

Max Verstappen looks set to remain at Red Bull(Image: PA)

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has dismissed speculation about landing Max Verstappen. The Dutch ace remains strongly tipped for a switch from Red Bull, despite being tied down until 2028 with a contract signed after his first title success in four years ago.

Verstappen’s deal is understood to contain an escape clause which could see him depart before next season, with turmoil at his current outfit fuelling intense rumours – particularly after Christian Horner’s exit as team principal and chief executive of the racing outfit.

Mercedes feature among the teams rumoured to have courted the defending champion, with Wolff previously making no attempt to hide his admiration for the 27-year-old. The Austrian has tried to sign Verstappen in the past, including when he was a teenager on his way up to F1.

Yet, the Silver Arrows chief has now cooled talk of a potential swoop. Instead, the longest serving team principal on the F1 grid has backed his current pairing of George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, both of whom are out of contract at the end of the year as it stands.

Speaking to Austrian broadcaster ORF, he said: “Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months. So they are all up to date. The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That is the absolute priority.”

He went on to admit, though, that he had taken a good look at the idea of luring Verstappen to Mercedes, adding: “You can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”

Wolff’s comments come after two weeks filled with rumours about Verstappen’s future since the British Grand Prix. News of Horner’s dismissal just days after the Silverstone race led to inevitable speculation that the Dutchman could follow his former boss through the exit door.

Talk of a sensational switch to Mercedes reached fever pitch when online sleuths figured out that Verstappen and Silver Arrows chief Wolff were both holidaying in Sardinia at around the same time.

Planes and yachts were tracked using online tools, while some edited images were circulated showing Wolff allegedly boarding Verstappen’s private jet, though the pictures were fake. Wolff laughed as that particular situation was brought up in the ORF interview.

He said of it: “It is new that people make photo collages of a plane – we’ve never had that before. If you go on vacation close to each other, that doesn’t mean you’re also working together in Formula 1. We’ve always had a good relationship, and coincidentally, we also spend the holidays in similar areas.”