Toto Wolff says he would “love to have” Max Verstappen at Mercedes

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently stated that he would "love" to have Max Verstappen race for his team amidst the uncertainty surrounding the Dutchman's future at Red Bull. However, Wolff added that the current priority for the Silver Arrows is to improve their car for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

The three-time world champion has been associated with Red Bull since his F1 debut in 2015. Verstappen has been the most successful driver on the grid in recent years, thanks to a competitive car and his incredible skillset.

Despite his success with the Austrian team so far, Max Verstappen's future at the team is uncertain due to the controversy surrounding team principal Christian Horner.

While there haven't been any official developments yet, Toto Wolff was recently asked if he would like to have the Dutchman drive for Mercedes in the future. Wolff said (via Formula1.com):

"I’d love to have him."

However, as mentioned earlier, he clarified that his priority is developing their current car. He added:

"But first we need to sort out our car. I think we owe it to our drivers, George [Russell] and Lewis, to improve the car and give them equipment that is good before dreaming about the future next year."

Lewis Hamilton is set to depart the Brackley-based outfit at the end of the season and switch to Ferrari. Given the upcoming vacancy at Mercedes, Max Verstappen has been heavily linked with a move to the team.

---

Max Verstappen open to leaving Red Bull: Reports

Since the allegations against Red Bull team principal Christian Horner came out, there has been major turbulence in the team's ranks. Although Horner was cleared after an internal investigation by Red Bull, there is still tension within the team.

It has been reported that advisor Dr Helmut Marko might not continue with the team in the near future. In Saudi Arabia, Max Verstappen stated that he "can't continue" at Red Bull without Mark. He said while speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda:

"I've always clearly indicated that he [Marko] has to stay. I can't continue without him."

Responding to Verstappen's comments, Christian Horner stated that Red Bull will not 'force' Max Verstappen to stay if he wishes to leave the team before his contract ends. He said:

"It's like anything in life: you can't force somebody to be somewhere just because of a piece of paper. If somebody didn't want to be at this team, then we're not going to force somebody, against their will, to be here. That applies whether it's a machine operator, or a designer, or somebody in one of the support functions that runs through the business."

However, he still believes in Verstappen's commitment to the team. He added:

"Being involved in a team like this involves commitment and passion. Max has that. We've seen that, he's been here since he was 18 years of age."

"I have no doubt of his commitment and passion going forward."