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F1 fans on social media have reacted to Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff meeting with Max Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, after the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP. Their meeting sparked plenty of rumors about Verstappen leaving Red Bull amid internal turmoil after Christian Horner's investigation.
Downplaying the meeting, Toto Wolff stated that he only wanted to congratulate Jos Verstappen for his son's achievements in Formula 1.
"I have known Jos for 25 years - with ups and downs and I simply congratulated his son on his achievements. Max is driving in a galaxy of his own," he said (via F1-insider).
However, when he was asked whether Mercedes could lure Max Verstappen into the team as Lewis Hamilton's replacement, he replied:
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"Anything is possible."
After Toto Wolff's statements surfaced on X (formerly Twitter), many fans were surprised to see him hinting that Max Verstappen could sign for Mercedes. They discussed how it was highly unlikely that the Dutchman would leave Red Bull, while some even felt the Silver Arrows would be a downgrade for Verstappen.
"Why will Max even downgrade?" a fan questioned.
One fan speculated that Verstappen would stay with Red Bull until his contract expires in 2028, after which he would retire and race in other motorsports.
"No, never. I think when 2028 Max's contract expires, Max will stop with the f1 and drive Le Mans or something," another fan wrote.
Overall, most F1 fans strongly believed that Verstappen will not join Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton's replacement in 2025. As of now, he is dominating F1 with Red Bull and recently won the 2024 F1 season's first race in Bahrain.
Max Verstappen not seeking to move away from Red Bull
Speaking to the onsite media at the launch of RB20, Max Verstappen stated that he feels comfortable at Red Bull and would not jump ship anytime soon.
Verstappen was asked whether he would like to race for Ferrari shortly after Lewis Hamilton's move. He replied by saying he respects Ferrari and their history, but is not looking to change teams at the moment.
"Well again I don't want to sound disrespectful. I have a lot for respect for the brand Ferrari. But I’m very happy at where I am at the moment. So you know, I’m comfortable in the environment that I am in. So for me its not something I am looking for to change or whatever," he said (via ESPN)
"In my life, you always do experience so never say never. But things for me now, its not even in my head. But again its only Formula 1, I want do more things than Formula 1 as well," he added.
Max Verstappen has been with the Red Bull organization since he joined F1 in 2014. He drove for Toro Rosso from 2014 to 2016, after which he was promoted to Red Bull Racing. Since then, he has won 55 races and three consecutive world championships with the team.
