Toto Wolff once again lavished praise on Max Verstappen after watching the Red Bull driver take the checkered flag at the Formula 1 2024 Japanese Grand Prix, with the Mercedes boss doing little to hide his interest in hiring him for next season.
Wolff will lose Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari in 2025 after the 39-year-old decided to trigger a break clause in his contract February, causing a scramble in the driver market.
And while the likes of Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso were initially linked, the Austrian supremo is making it his personal mission to snatch Verstappen from Red Bull.
The Dutchman, 26, may be in the quickest car that has seen him land three world championship titles back to back, but unrest within the team has led Verstappen to question his long-term future with the team.
Wolff did not explicitly confirm his interest in Verstappen on this occasion, although this is well-documented from his previous comments this season. Instead, he chose to give him a ‘spectacular’ review for his pole, win and fastest lap combination – and predicted he would be continue to be unbeatable this year.
“No one will catch up with Max this year,” Wolff said after the race to the German language press. “His car is spectacular and he drives spectacularly well, it’s just a matter of who will be the best of the rest.”
More from the Singapore GP
Catch up with Total Motorsport's latest Singapore GP coverage, including Max Verstappen's victory at Marina Bay, Ferrari's costly strategy gamble, the full race classification, and the updated 2026 Formula 1 Drivers' and Constructors' Championship standings.
Trouble at home for Mercedes
Wolff may be looking to next year already after watching yet another race weekend crumble in front of their very eyes. Mercedes looked quick in FP3 but could only qualify seventh and ninth respectively.
Russell passed his teammate Hamilton under team orders, and the latter aired his frustration with Mercedes‘ strategy during the race, falling from his grid position of seventh, as he registered another poor finish – and Wolff insisted there would be a full investigation.
“We had a bad first stint and have to analyse why that was the case. But the second and third stints were really good. That’s the positive thing we’re taking with us,” Wolff said.
“For us, it’s currently about carrying out a live test. We’re behind, and now we’ve gone in a different direction.
“But we understand the car much better and have now collected much more data that shows us the right direction. Even if the result doesn’t reflect that. But I am more optimistic because our experiments worked – even if this is not reflected in the qualifying result or the race result.”
