Toto Wolff names current F1 driver MORE HYPED than Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen

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Wolff names current F1 driver MORE HYPED than Verstappen

Verstappen is one of the biggest names in the sport now, but that wasn't always so

Chris Deeley

Monday 12 June 2023 21:57

Toto Wolff has admitted that Max Verstappen wasn't the most hyped Formula 3 driver when he was in the junior series in 2014, naming Esteban Ocon as someone who was getting more attention.

The Frenchman won the title for Prema Powerteam that year from Briton Tom Blomqvist, with Verstappen finishing the season third.

Wolff was litigating his failure to sign a young Verstappen to Mercedes in an interview with ESPN, and explained that it's hard for teams to tell whether they have a bona fide future F1 champion on their hands until they make it to the big leagues.

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Ocon joined Mercedes' driver development programme after that season, but didn't make it to F1 until midway through the 2016 season when Manor dropped Rio Haryanto, while Verstappen was placed straight into an F1 seat with Toro Rosso to start the 2015 season – and the rest is history.

Not so hyped

"Back in the day I think there wasn't huge hype around Max, because Max and Van Amersfoort weren't winning the championship that year," Wolff said. "Esteban won in a more competitive car.

"So the insiders knew that Max probably was in an inferior package and in his first year, and the insiders knew there was a very good one coming, but it wasn't clear that he was that good at that stage.

"You can only say when someone grows in Formula One and matures that he is a true world champion – an outstanding one. Before we had Lewis and then Michael Schumacher and before that [Ayrton] Senna.

"Who is the next one? Was it clear that Max would step into these shoes? It wasn't clear back then."