In 2025, Lewis Hamilton’s departure for Ferrari presents a challenging task for Toto Wolff, who must find a replacement for the seven-time Formula 1 Champion in the upcoming year.
The start of Red Bull’s 2024 season was marked by turmoil due to the Christian Horner scandal. Behind the scenes at Milton Keynes, a power struggle intensified, increasing the likelihood of Max Verstappen’s departure. However, the situation has temporarily stabilized.
Considering the animosities that arose from Verstappen’s intense battle with Hamilton for the 2021 Title, a move to Mercedes seemed unlikely. Their rivalry was punctuated by several flashpoints, including the Silverstone incident where Verstappen crashed into the wall and ended up in the hospital after being tagged by Hamilton’s Mercedes. Despite winning the race, Hamilton’s post-race celebrations were deemed disrespectful by Verstappen, who was still recovering.
Throughout the season, Verstappen and Hamilton had further clashes, notably at Monza, where Verstappen’s car ended up on top of Hamilton’s, causing both to retire from the race.
In the controversial season finale in Abu Dhabi, Verstappen denied Hamilton an eighth F1 Title. However, the relationship between the Red Bull driver and the Mercedes team suffered irreparable damage, or so it seemed.
In the realm of Red Bull, where tensions run high and Verstappen ponders his future, Wolff couldn’t resist the temptation to further unsettle the team. He boldly asserted that Verstappen was at the forefront of his list of potential replacements for Hamilton.
The admiration expressed by the Austrian towards Verstappen was so effusive that one might be forgiven for thinking that the 2021 F1 season never occurred. However, such is the level of maneuvering and manipulation in the world of Formula 1.
During the Japanese Grand Prix weekend, Wolff confidently declared that Verstappen would not be left behind in the 2024 Title race. These comments were later brought up to the triple F1 Champion during the post-race press conference, where he was questioned about his belief in securing his fourth F1 Crown.
“Recently, Toto has been incredibly complimentary, saying many kind things about me!” Verstappen quipped, before getting down to business. He continued, “No, I don’t know. It’s still a long season ahead.
“I prefer not to dwell too much on the remainder of the season. I want to approach it one race at a time. I am aware that there will be upcoming tracks that may not be as favorable for us. However, when we do encounter tracks where we know we can excel, we must seize the opportunity and score the maximum number of points as a team. That’s what we will continue to strive for.
“And, of course, we are aware that there will be tracks where it may be more challenging, and we must also strive to maximize our performance in those situations, where other teams may also have a chance to win,” he concluded.
While Wolff’s prediction of Verstappen clinching a fourth Title in 2024 may be accurate, one cannot help but question his sincerity in expressing his desire to have him join Mercedes in 2025. In the world of F1, nothing can be completely ruled out.