F1 | Wolff defends Mercedes: "We never talked about a contract with Verstappen"

Toto Wolff, head of Mercedes, said he was not at all surprised by the contract renewal between Max Verstappen and Red Bull until 2020. Despite there being talk of contacts between the Dutchman and the Stuttgart team, with a meeting taking place between Toto and Jos Verstappen in Monza, the Austrian wanted to reject any rumors about it: "There have never been contacts to discuss a possible contract."

The Austrian manager complimented the Milton Keynes team for the move: “I think Red Bull were very careful and smart in deciding on Max's contract, thus ensuring they have him for another three seasons. I would have done the same thing if I had been in Red Bull, he has a lot of ability and continuity is an important factor,” commented Toto Wolff to Motorsport.com.

Are you disappointed not to have him in Mercedes until at least 2020? Toto doesn't seem to be sad: “No, why should I? We see that there are many strong riders in the world, it's not unexpected,” he concluded.

Fabiola Granier