Max Verstappen just locked up his fourth straight world title in Formula 1, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff couldn’t help thinking about what might have been.
Wolff had his eye on Verstappen as the perfect replacement for Lewis Hamilton in 2025. It’s easy to see why – the Dutch driver has shown he can win races and championships even when he doesn’t have the best car on the track.
The timing couldn’t have been more dramatic. On the same day Mercedes pulled off an impressive 1-2 finish with George Russell and Lewis Hamilton leading the pack, Verstappen clinched his championship.
“He’s a deserving champion,” Wolff said about Verstappen, showing nothing but respect for the driver he’d hoped to steal away from Red Bull.
The Mercedes boss didn’t hold back with the praise. “It was clear he was one of the great ones even before this year. Now he’s done it four times.”
Verstappen’s dominance has been something else. He owned the first half of the season – both driver and car were untouchable. But even when Red Bull’s advantage shrunk in the second half, Verstappen kept winning.
For Mercedes, there was still plenty to celebrate. Their 1-2 finish came at the glitzy Las Vegas Grand Prix, which meant a lot to Wolff.
“This fantastic event, so spectacular and important for the American market – winning here with a 1-2 means we’ll stick in the minds of fans and American stakeholders,” he said. “It’s perfect timing for F1 in the United States.”
The victory in Vegas might not make up for missing out on Verstappen, but it’s showing that Mercedes isn’t done fighting at the front of the grid just yet.
