That in itself was difficult to maintain. In 2021, Wolff’s Mercedes superstar Lewis Hamilton battled for Verstappen for the drivers’ title.
Their season-long tussle featured multiple collisions and off-track controversies, culminating in a bitterly controversial Abu Dhabi finale.
The two drivers remarkably entered the race level on points.
Verstappen passed Hamilton on the final lap to snatch the title, but only after FIA race director Michael Masi had incorrectly applied the safety-car restart procedure.
There was no revenge mission the following season as Red Bull built a dominant car for the ground-effect era.
Thus the rivalry between Verstappen and Hamilton cooled, even if there were still occasional moments of tension.
Wolff wants to bring the Dutchman to Mercedes – that much is clear – so he’s tried to keep the peace.
For instance, the Austrian was careful not to attack Verstappen during his feud with George Russell at this year’s Abu Dhabi GP.
Instead, Wolff was involved in a spat with Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal.
During interview with F1-Insider, a German-language publication, Jos Verstappen was asked whether his son’s 2024 triumph, his fourth in succession, was his best yet. But he still places the first on a pedestal.
He accepts that Wolff and Hamilton would see the race as anything but ‘special’. But he’ll never forget the moments he shared with his son afterwards.
Some see the events of lap 58 as F1 at its best. Others believe it was an unfair conclusion that overshadowed an otherwise epic season.
“Every title is special and valuable,” Verstappen senior said. “The best is always the first. Abu Dhabi 2021 was special. When you win the title on the last lap, you’ll never forget it.
“Toto Wolff and Lewis Hamilton won’t like that. But I still remember sitting in the pits with my son shortly after the race and we reviewed his career in fast forward. It was an extremely beautiful and emotional moment for both of us.”
Wolff regrets not calling Verstappen after his son crashed at the 2021 British GP. Hamilton received a 10-second penalty for the first-lap incident, though Mercedes argued that he wasn’t to blame.
The Red Bull driver had to go to hospital afterwards for checks, and his team were furious that the victory celebrations proceeded as normal for his rival. Wolff recognises that he could have responded more appropriately.
As he looks back, most of his anger is directed at Horner. Indeed, the tension between the respective team bosses shows little sign of abating.
Wolff accused Horner of poor sportsmanship, arguing that he should have offered public commiserations. He’s adamant that Mercedes would have done so if it had been the other way around.
