维斯塔潘2026年梅赛德斯接触与去年截然不同
在赞德沃特的年度媒体会上，梅赛德斯车队领队托托·沃尔夫被荷兰记者问及维斯塔潘是否会加盟梅赛德斯。此次沃尔夫表示大门看似关闭，但仍留有一丝余地。
为什么维斯塔潘2026年与梅赛德斯的接触与去年截然不同
梅赛德斯与乔治·拉塞尔和基米·安东内利续约至2027年，红牛也与马克斯·维斯塔潘续约；如今，托托·沃尔夫认为，他要再过几年才会有下一次抢走这位四届世界冠军的机会。
马克斯·维斯塔潘究竟会不会在F1中为梅赛德斯效力？这是车队领队托托·沃尔夫在赞德沃特与荷兰记者举行的年度媒体会上被问到的问题——而这一次，大门看似关闭，尽管沃尔夫仍把它留了一丝缝。
如果梅赛德斯在2014年击败红牛，锁定这位年轻人的未来，F1的历史可能会完全不同。当时维斯塔潘作为单座赛车新秀在F3中不断赢下比赛，但他的目标坚定地锁定在立即完成世界冠军赛首秀上。这是只有红牛才能提供的机会，凭借其第二支车队。
自那以后，梅赛德斯和维斯塔潘一直是对手，但两年前，沃尔夫透露他曾与当时的三届世界冠军进行过会谈。这位奥地利人面临着为即将转投法拉利的刘易斯·汉密尔顿寻找合适替代者的艰巨任务，并且已经把目光投向了下一代天才基米·安东内利，但如果签下维斯塔潘有一丝可能实现，他显然不会放过这个机会。
最终没有实现，但当Autosport问沃尔夫，是否仍会在心里考虑潜在签下维斯塔潘时，沃尔夫坚称大门并未关闭：“是的，会。不知怎的，我有那种感觉。但我不知道那会是什么时候。是26年，还是三年后，我还不知道。”
一年后，随着新秀安东内利在首个赛季中挣扎，沃尔夫再次试探了维斯塔潘，但这位红牛车手再次向位于米尔顿凯恩斯的车队承诺忠诚。
“这是否意味着因为时机不对，我们的道路永远不会交汇？嗯，那是可能发生的，”沃尔夫当时思索道。“但那可能是50%。另外50%是，我们会在各自职业生涯的某个阶段一起比赛，如果这对双方都合适的话。”
但如今，沃尔夫承认，在6月确认拉塞尔和安东内利将在2027年继续效力银箭之后，他看不到维斯塔潘会在短期内加盟梅赛德斯；与此同时，这位荷兰人的新红牛合同在他主场赛前公布——尽管维斯塔潘目前正经历自2015年以来首个无胜赛季。
“很早我们就觉得，与乔治和基米继续合作是正确的决定——出于各种原因，但看起来这套车手阵容就是正确的积极动态，”沃尔夫评论道。“它让基米得以成长，也让乔治发挥出最佳水平，因为他有一位速度很快的年轻队友。
“因此，马克斯留在红牛看起来相当合乎逻辑。熟悉的魔鬼总比未知的好——这是个包袱！——然后再等两三年看看会发生什么，届时合同会再次打开，可能他的选择不只是一支车队，而是一次有三四支。然后等着看谁表现最好。”
当Autosport问梅赛德斯是否曾有任何机会为2027年签下维斯塔潘时，沃尔夫解释道：“在晚春很早就清楚，我们会按现在的方式继续。我们之间有着开放、在某种程度上尽可能透明的关系。所以，正如你所说，情况与去年非常不同，当时双方都在探索合作是否可能发生。”
维斯塔潘新合同的公布结束了关于这位四届世界冠军未来的猜测，此前他在车手中堪称对F1新规最持批评态度的人之一。关于要做出“人生”决定的隐晦、随口之言，加上他参与GT3赛事，助长了谣言，但最终，红牛的超级明星决定继续他的F1生涯。
当被问及是否对维斯塔潘在该系列赛中留得更久感到惊讶时，沃尔夫说：“不。规则越成熟，车队就越会追赶上来。即使红牛目前处于下风，也很清楚，给它一些时间，他们会闪耀。
“他们今年有过强劲的比赛，也有过不好的。但我毫不怀疑，未来通常的那些竞争者会再次为胜利和冠军而战，无论是法拉利、迈凯伦、红牛还是我们自己。所以这个决定在我看来某种程度上是合乎逻辑的。”
英文原文
Why Verstappen's 2026 Mercedes contact was very different from last year's
Mercedes extended its deals with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli for 2027, and so did Red Bull with Max Verstappen; by now, Toto Wolff believes it will be a few years until he gets another chance to snatch the four-time champion away
Will Max Verstappen ever race for Mercedes in Formula 1? This is what team principal Toto Wolff is quizzed about in his yearly media session with Dutch journalists at Zandvoort – and this time the door looks closed, though Wolff keeps it ever so slightly ajar.
F1’s history could have panned out very differently if Mercedes had beaten Red Bull to secure the youngster’s future back in 2014, as Verstappen kept winning races in Formula 3 as a single-seater rookie, but his sights were firmly set on an immediate world championship debut. That’s something only Red Bull could offer, courtesy of its second outfit.
Since then, Mercedes and Verstappen have always been rivals, but two years ago, Wolff revealed he had held talks with the then-three-time world champion. The Austrian faced the tall order of finding a worthy replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton and had already set his sights on next-generation wunderkind Kimi Antonelli, but he obviously wouldn’t have passed on the opportunity of recruiting Verstappen, had it had the slightest chance of materialising.
It didn’t, but Wolff insisted the door was not closed, when asked by Autosport if a potential move for Verstappen was still in the back of his mind: “Yes, it is. Somehow I have that feeling. But I don't know when that could be. Whether it's '26, whether it's three years later, I don't know yet.”
Wolff again sounded out Verstappen one year later, as rookie Antonelli struggled in his maiden season, but the Red Bull racer pledged loyalty anew to the Milton Keynes-based team.
“Could that mean our paths will never cross because the timings are wrong? Well, that can happen,” Wolff pondered at the time. “But that could be 50%. The other 50% is we are racing together at a certain stage in our careers, if it is right for both sides.”
But by now, Wolff admits he can’t see Verstappen joining Mercedes anytime soon, after Russell and Antonelli were confirmed in the Silver Arrows for 2027 back in June, while the Dutchman’s new Red Bull deal was announced ahead of his home race – despite Verstappen currently going through his first winless campaign since 2015.
“Pretty early we felt for us that being with George and Kimi was the right decision to continue – for various reasons, but it seems that the driver line-up is just the right positive dynamic,” Wolff commented. “It allows Kimi to grow and for George to bring out his best game because he has a quick, young team-mate.
“Therefore it seemed pretty logical that Max would stay with Red Bull. Better the devil you know – that's a punchline! – and then wait what happens in two or three years, where contracts open up again and probably his options are not just one team but maybe three or four at a time. And wait who performs the best.”
Asked by Autosport if Mercedes had had any chance at all of hiring Verstappen for 2027, Wolff explained: “Pretty early in the late spring it was clear that we would continue like we do. And we have an open and in a way most transparent relationship as we can have. So the situation, as you say, was very different to what it was last year, where both sides were exploring whether cooperation could happen or not.”
The announcement of Verstappen’s new contract ended speculation over the four-time world champion’s future, after he emerged among drivers as arguably the most critical of F1’s new regulations. Cryptic, throwaway lines about “life” decisions to make fuelled rumours amid his involvement in GT3 racing, but in the end, Red Bull’s superstar decided to keep his F1 career going.
Asked if he was surprised to see Verstappen staying longer in the series, Wolff said: “No. The more regulations mature the more the teams will catch up. And even if Red Bull at the moment is on the back foot it is clear that, give it some time, they will shine.
“They have had strong races this year, others that were not. But I have no doubt that going forward the usual suspects will be again fighting for wins and championships, whether it is Ferrari or McLaren or Red Bull or ourselves. So the decision’s in a way logical one for me.”
Autosport ·
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