A juicy scene from the new season of Drive to Survive reveals how Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff promised driver Lewis Hamilton that he would not engage in talks with Max Verstappen. To everyone’s surprise, Hamilton announced last year that he would be leaving the German racing team for Ferrari. Before his departure, he reportedly urged Wolff not to let Verstappen replace him.
Lewis Hamilton turned the Formula 1 world upside down when he announced in early 2024 that he would be moving to Ferrari. Consequently, the transfer market kicked off early. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz, who was sacrificed for the seven-time world champion, was one of the options for Mercedes, as revealed in a scene from the latest season of the Netflix series Drive to Survive. The cameras capture a conversation between Toto Wolff and his wife Susie, director of the F1 Academy. “Carlos (Sainz) has shown good things,” says Toto Wolff, who was still looking for a replacement for Hamilton at the time. “But Fernando Alonso’s race speed is also still good.”
Verstappen to Mercedes?
Susie Wolff then suggests contracting Max Verstappen. Due to the alleged overstepping behavior of Christian Horner, there were already tensions at Red Bull at the time, and a transfer for the Dutch champion did not seem impossible. However, the Mercedes team boss responds that he has made a special promise. “I haven’t spoken to him (Verstappen) because I promised Hamilton I wouldn’t,” he replies. “But I’m going to do that now.”
“It would be unfair to say that I wouldn’t want to work with Verstappen,” Wolff states in front of the Drive to Survive cameras. At the start of the previous season, the Austrian seemed convinced that he could bring the Dutchman to Brackley. “He is clearly the best driver, and the situation with Christian Horner has obviously taken its toll. Verstappen knows what’s right and wrong, and he knows what he wants, so it’s up to him.” History shows that Verstappen remained loyal to Red Bull and Mercedes placed their trust in a new face. The 18-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli is making his debut for the Silver Arrows this year.
