Toto Wolff has revealed that he talked to Max Verstappen's management team during the break over a potential switch to Mercedes in 2025.

Ever since the Horner saga broke cover, leading to talk of a power struggle behind the scenes at Red Bull, there has been talk of Verstappen jumping ship.

Giving the speculation added weight was Adrian Newey's decision to leave the team, not to mention the increasing challenge from McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari.

Among the first to try to woo the Dutch youngster was Wolff who has made no secret of his desire to have the three-time world champion on board, having allowed him to slip through his fingers at the start of his racing career.

Over the summer the Austrian continued his pursuit, talking to Max's father, Jos, and manager Raymond Vermeulen.

"I thought all through the year that there was a window or that there was a possibility. It wasn't zero," he tells Motorsport.com. "It's pretty bumpy ground there still," he said of Red Bull, "and not only for performance reasons, but also because of interpersonal issues that we're all aware.

"By the way, I got on with Jos for all my life," he added. "Maybe because we're a bit similar, that's why I thought the door was never completely closed.

"What were the odds of of that happening? Maybe there were ten to one, nine to one," he continued. "Still, I didn't want to give up, but then we together came to the conclusion over the summer that we shouldn't be waiting for something to happen before committing for 2025, but let's just continue our job, Max at Red Bull and here at Mercedes taking our own driver decisions. And that was a kind of joint thought.

"What I like with Max, Raymond and Jos is that we talk straight. We don't need to push each other. We have been in this too long; we've taken the decision for drivers for next year. This is what our full effort is going into.

"Hopefully that's going to be the line-up for 2026 and beyond. But that doesn't close the door on Max being with us in '26 or beyond, because we want to still keep all the options open in the same way he does.

"What I enjoyed in our conversations is there is never a hidden agenda," he admitted. "Somehow I have that feeling that paths will cross. But I don't know when that could be. Whether it's '26, whether it's three years later, I don't know yet."

All of which appears to confirm that protege Kimi Antonelli will partner George Russell next season.

"Soon, we will confirm who is in the second seat," said Wolff. "And what I also said is that the two drivers that are in the car have our full support, 100%. Therefore I'm entering the season in 2025 with two drivers that we will be giving all the opportunity to perform. That's why I don't want to talk about the 2026 driver line-up at that stage because I want to make it work with George and (hypothetically) Kimi."

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