Lewis Hamilton’s surprise announcement to join Ferrari at the end of the season sent shockwaves through Formula 1 and at the same time left an open seat at Mercedes, leaving many wondering, who would be the suitable replacement for the seven-time world champion.

From the beginning, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was clear about his ideal replacement: Max Verstappen, hinting at a potential interest in signing him, despite the Dutchman’s contract with Red Bull running until 2028.

However, as speculation grew, Wolff seemed to distance himself from his earlier comments, suggesting that Verstappen would likely stay with Red Bull for the foreseeable future.

In the end, the team decided to sign a promising talent Andrea Kimi Antonelli to partner George Russell, with Wolff claiming that he knew the first minute after Hamilton’s announcement that he wanted to sign the young Italian and that ‘flirting’ with Verstappen is over.

At the same time, Wolff has often talked about his admiration for Verstappen’s skills and admitted that missing out on signing him years ago was a disappointment but now downplays any immediate plans to bring Verstappen over to Mercedes.

Yet, even with Wolff’s denials, the rumors persist, especially given the strong relationship he has with the Verstappen family, which he recently mentioned on the High Performance Podcast.

"We get on very well, not always in the visibility of the public eye.

"I've known Jos [Verstappen, Max's father] for a long time. He's my age, we have similar views on racing.

"And I wouldn't want the year 2021 to put any shadow on any personal relationship that we have. It was bad enough that year, but the relationships are intact."

Wolff shared that he is happy with the decision to go for young drivers but once again hinted that the door remains open if Verstappen shows interest in a future Mercedes seat.

"It feels natural now to go to the next generation.

"Max is a great driver and an interesting personality, and God knows what happens in the future, but having Kimi and George in the car, homegrown, real Mercedes juniors that delivered every step of their career that we supported - I'm very much looking forward to that situation."

For now, Verstappen appears committed to Red Bull, but with Hamilton heading to Ferrari, the possibility of a future partnership with Mercedes remains an intriguing prospect.