Wolff has previously played down talk of Mercedes making a move for Verstappen in 2025, insisting at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in April that he would not “flirt” with the Red Bull driver before declaring that he “couldn’t wish for anything better” than the Russell/Antonelli partnership.

Mercedes chief was grilled over George Russell's admission that the F1 team is talking to Max Verstappen once again

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been keen on having Max Verstappen on his team, which is delaying George Russell's contract extension.