"Why it's so extreme in the public domain": Toto Wolff's overt pursuit of Max Verstappen bewilders Scott Mitchell

F1 pundit Scott Mitchell-Malm was surprised to see Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff publicly luring Max Verstappen to join his team.

Rumors about the defending world champion leaving Red Bull to join Mercedes emerged amid Christian Horner's investigation fiasco. Back in February, Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female employee. Following this, Red Bull GmBH initiated an internal investigation against Horner but did not find him guilty and cleared all charges.

However, the Austrian team found themselves knee-deep in controversy as an anonymous email leaked alleged conversations between Horner and the employee.

Furthermore, Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, publicly criticized Christian Horner and had a meeting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, sparking more rumors about the Dutch driver leaving Red Bull due to internal turmoil. Wolff himself publically spoke about the prospect of Verstappen joining his team. Since Lewis Hamilton would leave Mercedes and join Ferrari in 2025, the Silver Arrows would have an empty seat to fill.

Speaking on The Race F1 podcast, Scott Mitchell-Malm was particularly confused as to why Toto Wolff was publicly luring the 26-year-old driver to replace Lewis Hamilton. He claimed that he could not remember any team boss trying to explicitly persuade a driver with such intensity.

"I don't really understand why it's so extreme in the public domain. Because I've been racking my brains thinking of when and if I can remember another team boss publicly courting a driver like this," F1 pundit said. (7:36)

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Former F1 world champions reckons Mercedes boss is trying to mess with Red Bull by openly luring Max Verstappen

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve opined that Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff was trying to annoy Red Bull by publicly approaching Max Verstappen to join his team.

According to The Express, the former Canadian driver stated that he simply could not imagine Verstappen racing for Mercedes, especially after the infamous 2021 F1 season, where Lewis Hamilton-Mercedes and Max Verstappen-Red Bull had a massive fight for the championship.

“I can’t imagine Toto Wolff wanting Max. The only way he would entertain the idea would just be to annoy Red Bull. I can’t see him at Mercedes because they lost the championship to Red Bull and Max. It would definitely not be because he really wanted Max. It would be more to do with wanting to get at Red Bull,” former Canadian F1 driver said.

As of now, there are no strong announcements or hints from the teams or Max Verstappen himself about his transfer. The Dutch driver has a long-term contract with Red Bull until 2028.