Toto Wolff has played down a meeting that was spotted between him and the father of young Red Bull driver Max Verstappen, former F1 driver Jos. It has been speculated that Verstappen wants a move away from Red Bull into a team with which he can win the championship with, and with Mercedes one of only two places where he can currently compete it would be no surprise to see Jos trying to cosy up to team boss Wolff.
Verstappen is rated as perhaps the hottest young prospect in F1 at the moment and with only one Grand Prix win to his name so far in his career he is understood to be getting frustrated with the lack of winning opportunities he has been getting in terms of winning races. This season especially has been especially frustrating for the Dutchman with only one podium finish to his name and six retirements.
However Toto Wolff has played down the meeting they had was just a social one, with no discussion of driver changes. He said on the matter: "I've known Jos for many years, we have a common friend, Frank. He is on a visit here.So Niki [Lauda] and I sat in the office. Our Dutch friends came along and we had a coffee with them. Not more, not less.
"For next year no interest in Max Verstappen. He is not available. He is one of the names you have to have on the radar, Max is one of the future stars of Formula 1. Like many others, like Valtteri [Bottas], like Daniel [Ricciardo]. Max and Esteban Ocon are part of this group of drivers as well."
Sam Gale
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He's definitely a target for Mercedes