Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has firmly denied the accusation made by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko that a meeting took place between the two rival teams regarding Mick Schumacher’s potential move to AlphaTauri.
Schumacher, the young German star, was recently dropped by Haas, only for Mercedes to step in and offer him a seat as the team’s reserve driver.
Wolff had expressed his desire last year to keep the Schumacher name in Formula 1 and believed that the 24-year-old deserved a seat back on the grid.
While opportunities for the 2023 season were limited, efforts are already underway to secure Schumacher’s return for the following year.
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Reports have circulated suggesting that Schumacher may have a chance to join Williams in 2024, thanks to Mercedes’ partnership with the team.
However, Marko sensationalised the situation this month by claiming that Wolff was pressuring Red Bull to offer Schumacher a lifeline.
The Red Bull advisor took aim at Wolff, insinuating that the Mercedes team principal’s personal agenda was hindering Schumacher’s F1 future after alleged talks with the FIA.
“It was mentioned in a meeting,” Marko claimed.
“The only problem was that Mr. Wolff simultaneously openly played politics against us at the FIA. That settled the matter.”
In response to Marko’s claims, Wolff has questioned the motives surrounding Schumacher’s future in Formula 1.
“I’m not even sure that we can facilitate because every time we speak highly of him, somebody feels the need to say something negative,” Wolff retorted.
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“As a little aside, I never spoke to Red Bull leadership about giving Mick a place there the way it was said by Helmut.
“Wherever I can speak highly and praise Mick, that’s what I’m doing. But in the end, it’s every team’s authority to decide on the drivers.”
Schumacher recently had his first outing in the Mercedes W14 as part of Pirelli’s 2024 tyre test. Wolff believes that a year away from the F1 grid co