Red Bull boss dismisses Jos Verstappen and Toto Wolff paddock chat intrigue

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has brushed aside a public chat Jos Verstappen and Toto Wolff were seen having in the Canadian Grand Prix paddock.

The former F1 driver and father of four-time champion Max was sitting outside in the paddock in conversation with the Mercedes team principal, with the rumour mill naturally beginning to spin at this time of year as Formula 1’s ‘silly season’ springs back into life.

Laurent Mekies plays down Jos Verstappen and Toto Wolff meeting

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Verstappen Jr is under contract with Red Bull until 2028, but was continually asked about his future with the team last season amid Wolff making his admiration clear for the Dutch driver, though he eventually stated publicly he would remain with Red Bull in 2026.

The four-time world champion is widely reported to hold a break clause in his contract, though, whereby if he sits outside the top two in the Drivers’ Championship by the summer, he would be allowed to explore his options with other teams.

While Wolff and Verstappen Sr have been known to sporadically chat in the paddock, the latest public meeting saw the question put to the Red Bull team principal about whether or not this discussion was in any way looking at somehow putting pressure on Red Bull to perform.

Mekies, though, was not drawn into the rumour mill.

“I tell you what, as much as it may sound exciting to see that from the outside, I really don’t think there is any intention particular behind [it],” Mekies said in Montréal.

“If any of these guys wants to have a chat, it’s going to be a story anyway. We speak all the time with Max, and with Jos, and it’s completely natural that they can have conversations with Toto.

“Max was racing in a Mercedes last week, in GT3, so I genuinely don’t think it’s part of a game plan to get a message through.”

Max Verstappen ‘genuinely cares about F1 being pinnacle of motorsport’

One possibility that has also long been mooted is the possibility of Verstappen taking a break from Formula 1, rumours which intensified given his lack of approval at the new regulation set in the sport.

Steps are being taken to address this next season, with an agreement in principle to up the ratio of internal combustion power relative to electrical power, in the hope of drivers being able to push flat-out for longer.

The Red Bull driver has voiced his support for this proposal, with the aim of less energy management.

With rumours of a sabbatical subsiding at this stage, Mekies explained that his driver has been listened to at the top level, as teams and stakeholders look to make adjustments.

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“I think you know Max cares about the sport, and the reason why he’s so vocal is because he genuinely cares about Formula 1 being the pinnacle of motorsports,” Mekies added.

“He wants to see, I’m sure, as most of you do, flat-out qualifying. He wants to see the fastest drivers being able to push as hard as they want in the corners without losing any lap time due to that, and he has been listened [to].

“There has been a fantastic openness from the stakeholders, from the FIA, from F1, from all the teams to say, ‘yeah, we need to do something about it’, and therefore, I’m sure it’s been encouraging for him and for all of us to see that we are all ready to make steps to fix it, and I think it’s important for the sport.”

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