Max Verstappen issued a humorous response to recent rumours that he met with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff while on holiday during the break before this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Reports emerged during the break that both he and the Mercedes team principal had been photographed in Sardinia, leading many to believe the pair were meeting to continue discussions about a future contract for the four-time champion.
Wolff previously confirmed he was in talks with the Dutchman, but admitted that the likelihood of Verstappen moving to Mercedes for 2026 was very low.
“Well, I was swimming in the ocean at the time,” Verstappen told Motorsport.com and other media in Belgium when he was asked if the rumours irritated him. “I don’t really care about those things. Because I went on holiday with my friends, my family. And when other people also are there at the same time, that can happen.
“I mean, there are more people on the island than just me and Toto and the family. If you go to the same island, that can happen.”
Wolff has also responded to the reports ahead of the race weekend at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, confirming that the team’s current drivers, George Russell and Andrea Kimi Antonelli, are the priority. Both drivers’ current contracts expire at the end of the season.
“Discussions have been taking place over the last weeks and months, so they are all up to date,” Wolff said.
Toto Wolff, Executive Director of Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team
Photo by: Erik Junius
“The direction of travel is definitely that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That is the absolute priority. But you can’t look past someone like Max and the plans he has for the future. We did that, but I don’t think there will be any big surprises.”
He added, “What’s new is that people are doing photo collages with aeroplanes. We’ve never had that before.
“But if you spend your holidays close to each other, it doesn’t mean that you’re going to work together in Formula 1. We have always gotten along well and by chance we like to spend our holidays at the same places.”
Photos from Belgian GP – Thursday
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