Mercedes team principal Wolff has admitted regret at not snapping up th🌊e talented young driver who is currently set for a third൲ consecutive F1 championship.

Verstappen, of course, instead joined Red Bull’s junior programme before bursting onto t𓃲he F1 scene in 2015 with Toro Rosso.

Red Bull consultant Marko told about Verstappᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ⁤⁤⁤⁤ᩚ𒀱ᩚᩚᩚen: "His tal🥀ent would not have been visible enough in Formula 3, but then I don’t know what exactly Toto has been looking at. 

“Because when I saw Max busy f♉♛or a while at the Norisring it was already completely clear to me that he had something special."

Wolff had previously told about his encounter with a young Verstappen: "I spoke to Jos and Huub Rothengat🍌ter when they came to my office in Brackley and that must have been when Max was in karting or the end of his karti൩ng days just before Formula 3.

"And then we spoke again when Max and Jos visited me in my house in Vienna. We spen⛄t a few hours discussing 🅘his future.

"Do I regret missing out on Max? Certainly. But it wꦗasn't an option back in the day.

"We had two drivers that I was extremely happy with, in Nico R♎osberg and Leওwis Hamilton, and when Nico left , Valtteri Bottas was then the option and Max wasn't even available.

"Would Max and Lewis have functioned? Maybe not…”