Max Verstappen is poised to lead Mercedes' wishlist for potential successors to seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton in 2025, according to team principal Toto Wolff.
Despite having a contract with Red Bull until 2028, Verstappen's future with the team has been doubtful due to strained relations between his father, Jos and team principal Christian Horner.
With Hamilton departing for Ferrari at the end of the season, Mercedes has a vacant seat, which Carlos Sainz, who won the Australian GP on Sunday, could fill.
"We have a slot free, the only one in the top teams – unless Max decides he goes and then the slot is not going to be free with us anymore," Wolff told Fox Sports Australia in an interview in Melbourne.
The interview, conducted after qualifying, was not widely picked up then, but the strong comments drew attention later.
When asked if Verstappen would be the number one pick, Wolff replied: "Yes. You see what his performance levels are, but I wouldn't want to discount the other ones, too."
Wolff tried to sign Verstappen as a teenager before he joined Red Bull, but he could not immediately offer him an F1 seat.
The Austrian said he had a good relationship with Jos Verstappen and had met at the time in Vienna to discuss future possibilities, but the driver already had an offer from Red Bull at that point.
"It's a kind of relationship that needs to happen at a certain stage, but we don't know when," he asked if signing Verstappen could close a circle.
Wolff also mentioned double world champion Fernando Alonso, Sainz and Mercedes-backed F2 rookie Kimi Antonelli as possible options.
"Obviously, there's Fernando, who's very exciting and Carlos, who's very good. So there are a few ones," he said.
Verstappen has not ruled out a move to Mercedes in the long term but said he was comfortable at his "second family," Red Bull, in Australia, and it would be a great story to finish his F1 career with them.
Once-dominant Mercedes failed to win a race last season and suffered a double retirement in Melbourne, their first since 2018.