F1 insider claims Toto Wolff will fly to Nurburgring to watch Max Verstappen as Mercedes eye move

Verstappen and Wolff smiling with the Mercedes AMG car on the Nurburgring in the background — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

F1 insider claims Toto Wolff will fly to Nurburgring to watch Max Verstappen as Mercedes eye move

Verstappen is swapping Red Bull for the Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing this weekend

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Thursday 14 May 2026 12:54

The F1 rumour mill is working overtime once again as one motorsport insider has revealed their belief that Toto Wolff will make an appearance at the Nurburgring this weekend to cheer on Max Verstappen.

The four-time champion will once again put his Red Bull F1 allegiance aside to get behind the wheel of the No.3 Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo to represent his very own Mercedes-AMG Team Verstappen Racing.

The Dutchman will share driving duties at the iconic Nurburgring 24 Hour race with Jules Gounon (Andorra/France), Dani Juncadella (Spain) and Lucas Auer (Austria) for the event which will take place between Thursday May 14 and Sunday May 17.

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For the first time in it's 56-year history, the Nurburgring have announced that the event has sold out, with organisers even warning fans not to travel to West Germany without a ticket. Evidence of the Verstappen effect!

Thousands of fans will already be on their way to the Green Hell, and according to F1 photographer Kym Illman, Mercedes team principal Wolff may even be joining them.

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In a recent video on his YouTube channel which was posted ahead of the legendary endurance event, Illman said: "Will Toto Wolff be flying in to give support? I'm going to say yes.

"Toto and AMG Mercedes pushed hard to change the dates of the preparation races for the Nurburgring 24 Hours just to make it work for Max.

"It's a dream pairing for Toto, who I think wants to see Max in a Mercedes some point."

It may be a bit of a stretch to suggest Verstappen's involvement with Mercedes indicates a future F1 team switch to the Silver Arrows. After all, Red Bull don't even manufacture their own GT3 cars.

However, there is no smoke without fire and it was previously reported that Wolff was instrumental in Mercedes-AMG's request to have the NLS1 race date postponed so Verstappen could participate in preparation for the 24-hour event.

What's more is that Wolff has been neither dishonest nor shy about his interest in the Dutchman's talents in the past, telling media last summer that he wouldn't be doing his job as the CEO and team principal of Mercedes F1 team if he didn't keep an eye on the future plans of a driver of Verstappen's calibre.

Wolff was quoted as saying last season: "As team principal of the best car brand in the world, it's clear you explore what a four-time world champion will do in the future, and that could be long into the future."

So who knows, could this weekend's partnership at the Nurburgring be the start of something special for Wolff, Verstappen, and the iconic German F1 team?

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Toto Wolff Nürburgring