HUNGRY LIKE A WOLFFLE UBS

Prowling Mercedes boss is waiting for right moment to pounce for his top target

- DANIEL MOXON

>> Toto: I didn't expect Lewis to be going and a certain situation at Red Bull a few months ago...

MERCEDES supremo Toto Wolff is ready to swoop if he thinks there is even the slightest chance of three-time world champion Max Verstappen quitting Red Bull.

Wolff will lose Lewis Hamilton to Ferrari next year, and Verstappen is his No.1 choice to replace the Brit.

Wolff has also admitted to having chats with Verstappen and his dad Jos.

The Austrian said: "Max is now in the best car and has a great deal at Red Bull.

"It's just that the whole working environment there at the moment may not be as it should be."

Red Bull are in the midst of a civil war following the fallout over team chief Christian Horner being accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female colleague.

That grievance was dismissed after an investigation, but the woman has appealed.

Horner has powerful enemies including Verstappen's father Jos, who publicly wants him out, and long-serving Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko.