Max Verstappen to Mercedes? Toto Wolff drops a huge hint about the possibility after meeting the Dutchman’s father at Bahrain

After a recent chat with Jos Verstappen, team principal Toto Wolff teased about Max Verstappen's potential future with Mercedes.

The season-opener Bahrain GP ended with a bang for the reigning constructors champion, Red Bull. By taking home a 1-2 finish at the Bahrain International Circuit, the Austrian team raked in 44 points.

Max Verstappen sealed the pinnacle spot in his RB20 with a lead of 22.457 seconds over his teammate, Sergio Perez. The latter is in his final year at Red Bull and his contract will end as the 2024 season concludes. Verstappen, on the other hand, has got his deal with the team sealed until 2028.

With Lewis Hamilton scheduled to move to Ferrari in 2025, Mercedes is looking for a contending candidate to fill in. Post the Bahrain GP, Wolff was seen indulging in a friendly chat with Max Verstappen's father, Jos, sparking rumors of a potential switch.

Initially, the team principal tried to lay low about his meeting with Jos, saying (via f1-insider):

"I've known Jos for 25 years – with ups and downs and simply congratulated him on his son's performance. Max is riding in a galaxy of his own."

However, before heading back, Wolff grinned and remarked, "Everything is possible," despite Verstappen's tenure at Red Bull fixed until 2028.

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Max Verstappen weighs in on Red Bull's "unbelievable" outing at the Bahrain GP

On March 2, Max Verstappen clinched his 55th Grand Prix victory to make it eight consecutive wins since finishing fifth in Singapore last year.

Post the enthralling 57-lap run, where he led every lap since the lights went off, Verstappen opened up on his better-than-expected stint at the 5.412 km circuit.

During the post-race interview with F1 reporter David Coulthard, Verstappen said (via F1 official website):

"Yeah, unbelievable. I think today it went even better than expected. I think the car was really nice to drive on every compound and I think we had a lot of pace. And yeah, it was super enjoyable to drive today. We really stayed out of trouble. And yeah, great start to the year. I mean, it couldn't have been better."

The #1 car driver then shed light on his defensive maneuver on the first corner during lap 1, adding:

"Yeah, I think the start was good. Of course, the first corner is a very tight hairpin. So naturally, you want to defend the inside just to be safe, so that's what we did. And basically, from there onwards, we just focused on our own race."