Toto Wolff Gives A No For Fernando Alonso, Maybe For Verstappen

Mercedes helmsman, Toto Wolff has given a series of statements concerning the possible moves. He claimed the utmost respect for Fernando Alonso as one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers but he would take the chance with his return to Formula 1. He has not ruled out a move for Max Verstappen to the Mercedes team, though.

Mercedes is currently weighing its options for the 2020 season with Valtteri Bottas under a lot of pressure. The decision on the transfers will be announced in August.

Wolff alluded to the past situation at McLaren where the Alonzo and Hamilton team-up presented a series of problems considering the two are ‘alpha’ drivers.

The possible transfer to Verstappen to Mercedes could rock the boat further amid the ongoing rivalry between him and current champion, Hamilton.

Hamilton’s lead seems comfortable with a gap of 68 points between him and his teammate, Bottas. Hamilton took this opportunity to call out Leclerc and Verstappen to challenge him in the 2019 season.

So far, Hamilton has won six out of the first eight races before Verstappen broke through with a few inspired drives in Austria and Germany before taking the first win in Hungary.

It is no wonder Wolff is looking to slot him on the team considering Bottas, performance has been slightly lacklustre for the 2019 season.

Mercedes team's inclusion may come with some turmoil considering the active rivalry between the two.

He was quoted very recently saying, "there are great drivers in the Paddock who can achieve similar things. Looking at the current grid, I think there are three of four drivers with the same capabilities."

However, he stopped short of naming these four he considered equal to Hamilton.

The star from Red Bull insists that Hamilton’s success has mostly been facilitated from the quality of the equipment supplied by Mercedes, especially during the previous seasons.

He also said that he didn't have the pressure of a teammate for the last few years, as if to name himself equal to the task.

He’s assertions can be given the light of day for this season because of Botta’s plateauing performance though Nico Rosberg would beg to differ.

There are those like Jos Verstappen, Max’s father who believes his son’s performance this past few races have rattled the champion’s cage.

Of course, a move to Mercedes for Verstappen would put him on the spot to ascertain the true superior with a level playing field.