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Toto Wolff · Australian Grand Prix paddock, Melbourne 2026

Wolff warns Mercedes setbacks could make Verstappen a threat

Archive photograph: Toto Wolff · Australian Grand Prix paddock, Melbourne 2026 · 2026-03-07Archive photo · 2026-03-07 · Yu Chu Chin · CC BY-SA 4.0

Toto Wolff said Verstappen could become a threat if Mercedes continued to lose ground, while noting that the standings made that unlikely at the time. Verstappen later won in Malaysia after taking pole. [Sources 1, 2, 4]

From the GPBeat newsroomPublished · · 1 min

After qualifying at Sepang, Toto Wolff said continued setbacks for Mercedes could make Max Verstappen a threat. Verstappen has since converted pole into victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia. [Sources 1, 4]

RacingNews365 attributes Wolff’s comments to an interview with Viaplay. Wolff said the championship standings made Verstappen an unlikely threat at that point, but added that continued setbacks for Mercedes could change that assessment.

Verstappen took pole with a 1:35.130 lap, 0.298 seconds ahead of Lewis Hamilton. [Sources 2, 3] He then won the 55-lap race, with Kimi Antonelli second and Hamilton third, according to RacingNews365’s race report.

Sources 04
  1. SOURCEWolff waarschuwt na pole Verstappen: "Dan wordt hij een bedreiging"RacingNews365 Nederland
  2. PRIMARY SOURCEVerstappen seizes first pole of the season for Bahrain GPFormula 1
  3. PRIMARY SOURCEF1 – Verstappen storms to first pole of 2026 at Sepang as Hamilton hands Ferrari front row startFIA news and transcripts
  4. SOURCEMax Verstappen takes historic Bahrain victory as George Russell title hopes extinguishedRacingNews365 English
Source context

Wolff’s comments were made before the race and are reported by RacingNews365 as coming from a Viaplay interview. His warning was conditional; Verstappen’s win does not establish how the championship will develop.