Wolff says talks with Mercedes 'on right track'

Jul.29 (GMM) Toto Wolff says his talks with Daimler over his future at the top of Mercedes’ works team are “on the right track”.

In the past weeks and months, and particularly since he bought into Lawrence Stroll’s Aston Martin project, there has been speculation the Austrian is on the verge of moving on.

When asked about his future, Wolff told Auto Motor und Sport: “We have a quite complex structure and complex contracts with me on the team.

“It is more than just an employment contract. There is also the question of what happens with Niki Lauda’s shares.

“These talks have been going on for a long time but are on the right track. The one certain thing is that we must have a solution by the end of the year at the latest.”

On the driver front, things are more stable at Mercedes, with Wolff saying keeping Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas for 2021 is “the best solution for us”.

However, some have wondered if that complicates Mercedes’ future relationship with its junior George Russell, who had been tipped to replace Bottas.

“With George, it was clear that he had another year with Williams,” Wolff insists. “And Esteban (Ocon) will be a Renault driver until next year.

“So for the two of them and for us, it’s a medium-term question.”