Toto Wolff recalls ‘difficult conversations’ as George Russell-Max Verstappen debate rages

Toto Wolff has recalled his previous experience of having "difficult conversations" with drivers as Mercedes continues to chase Max Verstappen. 

Wolff is a long-term fan of Verstappen and is keen to lure the four-time champion away from Red Bull and join the Brackley squad for 2026.

However, should this be successful, either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli will have to make way for the Dutchman, with both incumbent drivers out of contract at the end of this season. 

Wolff's decision to replace Lewis Hamilton with Antonelli was relatively straightforward, but in 2021, he faced a difficult choice as to whether to replace Valtteri Bottas with Russell, who was angling for promotion from Williams.

Russell ultimately got the nod ahead of Bottas, who himself was kept on for 2019 in place of Mercedes junior and Racing Point refugee Esteban Ocon. 

As Verstappen continues to refuse to publicly disavow his chances of moving to Mercedes, questions will remain for both parties. 

However, fortunately for Wolff, he recalled some prior experience of managing tricky driver situations.

"It is in the nature of the sport that you talk about people, whether they're in the car, in the factory, or at the racetrack," Wolff told media, including RacingNews365. 

"Most important is to stay true to your values. For me, that is having integrity and being humble about the situation, respectful of the people, and that's what I and what we are trying to do in the team. 

"But I've been in situations like this before, also before I was doing Formula 1, and some of the conversations are more difficult than others."