"People make up meetings" - Max Verstappen has not been in contact with Mercedes regarding a potential 2025 move, insists Toto Wolff

Toto Wolff has dismissed rumors of setting up a meeting with Max Verstappen's camp during this weekend's Miami Grand Prix and stated that the news was born out of thin air.

With seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton parting ways with Mercedes at the end of the season, Wolff is on the hunt for a replacement. The Silver Arrows team principal has openly courted the reigning three-time champion, expressing regret over missing the opportunity to sign the young Dutchman a decade ago.

Given Toto Wolff's interest in luring Max Verstappen away from the Red Bull squad, German media reported that Verstappen's father Jos and manager Raymond Vermeulen were to meet Wolff, Ineos boss Jim Ratcliffe, and Mercedes Benz CEO Ola Kallenius during the Miami GP.

The Silver Arrows team principal has now dismissed the rumors. He was quoted by Reuters as saying:

"No, that’s one of the rumors. People make up meetings, make up what’s happening with the drivers but these things should be behind closed doors and everything that’s been out there was not really the right thing."

Although Toto Wolff has dismissed rumors of a potential meeting, he has a genuine interest in securing the services of Max Verstappen. Wolff had previously suggested that the reigning champion was part of the driver market despite Verstappen's contract with Red Bull Racing not ending until 2028.

The Mercedes team principal believes that there are many other factors influencing the three-time champion's decision, emphasizing that the 2026 F1 regulations will play a major role in influencing his next move.

Christian Horner had immediately dismissed Wolff's comments, indicating that Max Verstappen would remain with the team for the 2025 season. Verstappen said that he was happy with the team's current state and had no reason to switch sides.

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Helmut Marko confirms Max Verstappen has "nothing else on the horizon"

Red Bull motorsports advisor Helmut Marko is confident that Max Verstappen will continue his winning partnership with the Milton Keynes-based squad. He claimed that the reigning champion has no plans to move elsewhere in the foreseeable future.

Marko recently lauded the 26-year-old Dutchman's superiority in the Red Bull machinery in a recent interview with the Austrian publication OE24. He said:

"He always wants to be in the fastest car. And Max in the Red Bull? That’s an unbeatable combination. But if you put the Max in a Ferrari, things would look different."

"The 20 seconds that he is ahead of Checo [Perez] corresponds to his driving superiority. Max will drive where he has the best car and he has that at Red Bull. Nothing else is on the horizon," he added.

Max Verstappen has clinched four victories in the first five rounds of the 2024 season. He leads the drivers' standings with a 25-point advantage over teammate Sergio Perez in second position.