Toto Wolff clarifies Max Verstappen 'flirting' as Mercedes contract clause teased

Toto Wolff has insisted that he and Mercedes were not 'on purpose flirting' with Max Verstappen this summer, after months of rumours that the reigning F1 world champion could be lured away from Red Bull.

Verstappen's future was the story of the summer around the paddock as the McLarens of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri eased away from him on the track, with reports that the Mercedes boss was looking to take advantage of organisational instability at Red Bull.

That situation appears to have been pushed some way down the line, with Verstappen reaffirming his commitment to his team, but it took Mercedes some time to confirm their driver lineup for 2026.

There were some suggestions that George Russell had been irked by Wolff appearing to offer his seat to his biggest rival, leading to a delay in him signing on for next season, but that contract extension was finally made official last week.

Wolff: Verstappen chase in the past now

Wolff was quizzed by Martin Brundle on Friday morning at the United States Grand Prix, and was asked whether that flirtation with Verstappen had affected his star driver.

The Austrian team boss said: "The truth is, you’ve got to learn from the mistake, I think there wasn’t any on purpose flirting, it’s just a coincidence, it was clear that you need to have the conversation and then we ended up in the same place in the summer, which obviously doesn’t look good and is destabilising for everyone!

"That’s the past now, everything’s cleared, contracts were signed and we move forward."

Brundle followed up to ask for more details of Russell's contract, with the team releasing scant details in their official announcement other than the fact that the Brit will drive for the team in 2026.

"I think you need stability," Wolff said. "Rolling one-year contracts are never good for anyone but without going into detail there are certain clauses that are related to it but we want to give the driver the feeling and also the team that this is the way we are going forward, it’s a lineup that we’re very happy of, balance is good and that’s why there is no doubt."

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