JEDDAH – Mercedes would do handstands to have Red Bull’s three-time world champion Max Verstappen driving for them but first they need a car worthy of his talents, team boss Toto Wolff said on March 9.

Verstappen has won 19 of the last 20 races and took his second of the 2024 Formula One season in Saudi Arabia over the weekend with an untroubled run from pole position.

The Dutchman’s future has been the subject of some speculation – despite Red Bull being way ahead of the rest – as a consequence of allegations by a female team employee against team principal Christian Horner.

Horner has been cleared after an investigation, but relations with Verstappen’s father Jos have frozen after the former racer said the team risked being torn apart if Horner stayed at the helm.

“I’d love to have him (Verstappen),” Wolff, who has a vacancy for 2025 following Lewis Hamilton’s decision to move to Ferrari, said as he stoked the flames.

“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.”

Asked if Verstappen was the top target, Wolff replied: “This is a decision that Max needs to take and there is no team up and down the grid who wouldn’t do handstands to have him in the car.”

Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 and Horner has said he is confident the 26-year-old will see it out.

Wolff also indicated there was no rush to decide the 2025 driver line-up.

“We have a few interesting options. The more we are able to assess how the season pans out, young drivers, slightly older ones, that’s not going to be a decision which we want to take in the next few weeks,” he said.

Russell finished sixth and Hamilton ninth at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after starting seventh and eighth.

“The car is relatively good in the low speed and not so bad in the medium, but in the high speed we are miles off,” said Hamilton. “It’s frustrating for sure to be three years in a row in almost the same position.

“We’ve definitely got to make some big changes.”

Changes are definitely needed if they aim to catch Red Bull, with Verstappen leading teammate Sergio Perez in Saudi Arabia in another one-two finish following the season-opening race in Bahrain.

It was Verstappen’s ninth consecutive victory and the 100th podium of his career, bringing him his 56th race win.

The Dutchman finished 13.643 seconds ahead of Perez, who hung on to second despite taking a five-second penalty for an unsafe release from a pit stop.

The pair finished a massive 18.639 seconds clear of Charles Leclerc of Ferrari.

“Overall, it was a fantastic weekend for the whole team and myself. I felt really good with the car and it was the same in the race,” Verstappen said.

Red Bull now have 87 points with Ferrari on 49 and McLaren on 28. The next race is the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne on March 24. 

Off the track, Horner rejected all suggestions of disunity within his world champions and said everyone in the organisation, made up of 1,400 people, played a role in their success.

But he avoided giving full comments on the latest spats which had suggested senior adviser Helmut Marko faced possible suspension for allegedly being the source of leaks to the media regarding Horner’s investigation.

The 80-year-old later made clear he was staying, while Verstappen had also said he would consider leaving Red Bull if they parted company with his long-time mentor.

“We are one team and nobody is bigger than the team,” said Horner when it was put to him that there was an internal power struggle for control of the team.

“Everyone has a role to play and that is from the very bottom to the very top. Without them performing, you don’t achieve performances like this. Our focus has been very much on the track.” REUTERS, AFP