Mercedes team principal Wolff has admitted regret at not snapping up the talente♔d young driver who is currently set for a third consecutive F1 championship.

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

Red Bull consultant Marko told about Verstappen: "His talent would not have been visible enough in Formula 3, but then I don’t know w🐈hat exactly Toto has been looking at. 

“Because when I saw Max busy for a while🍸 at the Norisring it was already completely clear to me that he h🍌ad something special."

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

"And then we spoke a🍒gain when Max and Jos visited me in my house in Vienna. We spent a few hours discussing his future.

"Do I regret missing ou♈t on Max? Certai♔nly. But it wasn't an option back in the day.

"ꦉWe had two drivers that I was extremely happy with, in Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, and when Nico left , Valtteri Bottas wa🐟s then the option and Max wasn't even available.

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