Will Toto Wolff go all out in his pursuit to bring Max Verstappen to Mercedes? One of the reasons why Lewis Hamilton decided to leave the Silver Arrows in favor of Ferrari was that the Brackley-based team was not willing to offer him a longer (2+1) year deal. But perhaps a bigger reason was that they refused to agree to an ambassadorial role for the 7-time champion. However, with the hopes of securing the services of the current world champion, Mercedes might just go that extra mile as per a recent report.

Before the Christian Horner investigation revealed a supposed power struggle within the team, Mercedes wouldn’t even be hoping to get their hands on Max Verstappen as he was tied with Red Bull till 2028. However, as soon as there was the slightest hint that the Dutchman might consider leaving his current team, Toto Wolff made it clear that Mercedes would love to have him.

A recent report from F1-Insider.com claims that key members from the Mercedes camp, including Toto Wolff, CEO Ola Källenius, and Sir James Ratcliffe (CEO of Ineos) are set to have a meeting with the Verstappen camp which includes Max Verstappen, his father Jos Verstappen, and manager Raymond Vermeulen after the upcoming Miami Grand Prix.

Mercedes is reportedly prepared to make Max Verstappen one of the highest-paid drivers, offering a lucrative long-term ambassadorial contract even post-retirement. The report mentioned that the Dutch driver could earn anywhere close to 150 million euros a year, including bonuses and special payments.

However, it is worth noting that money might not be the biggest factor in this deal. Verstappen would obviously want to know if Mercedes can improve their car going into 2025 and beyond if he is to leave a championship-winning team.

Even if Verstappen was somehow convinced to come to Mercedes, he still has a contract till the end of 2028. How is Mercedes planning to get around that hurdle?

Toto Wolff wants Helmut Marko to accompany Max Verstappen into Mercedes

During the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix weekend, when Dr. Helmut Marko’s future at Red Bull seemed uncertain, a unique clause in Verstappen’s contract came to light. Reportedly, Max Verstappen is allowed to leave Red Bull early if Helmut Marko is to leave the team before 2028. And Toto Wolff is willing to take advantage of that clause.

After the conclusion of the Japanese Grand Prix, Tom Clarkson, host of the ‘F1 Nation’ podcast shed light on what he had been told during the weekend. He explained, “In Japan, I was told by several people that Toto Wolff is pursuing Max very strongly. He needs a signature signing because the last three years haven’t been going very well for the team, and it would be a real statement of intent. It was even mentioned to me that he said to Max, ‘Bring Helmut Marko with you if that’s what it requires’.”

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What are your thoughts on the future of Max Verstappen in Formula 1? Will Toto Wolff be able to convince him to join Mercedes in 2025?