Jos Verstappen seen chatting to Toto Wolff as Red Bull boss responds | F1 | Sport

Laurent Mekies is confident that there was no “intention” behind Jos Verstappen‘s actions after the Dutchman was seen chatting and laughing in public with Toto Wolff. Much has been read into the sight of Max Verstappen‘s father socialising with the Mercedes chief and not trying to hide it, amid ongoing speculation that the four-time world champion could join the Silver Arrows.

That’s despite it hardly being an unusual sight. There are photos of Max himself chatting merrily with Wolff at the Miami Grand Prix earlier this month, while last year the Dutchman’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, was also seen engaging in deep conversation with the Mercedes chief.

Verstappen has a Red Bull contract until 2028 but that deal is known to contain performance clauses which would allow him to leave if certain targets are not met. It is understood he will have a window between the start of the summer break at the end of July and October to inform his team if he intends to leave at the end of the season, which he can use if he is not second or higher in the drivers’ championship.

If he does choose to seek a new adventure, Verstappen will want to be in the quickest car he can find and Mercedes would be able to provide a particularly strong one, based on their results so far this year. Hence the amount of attention that his father’s public conversation with Wolff has received.

In the team representatives’ press conference in Montreal on Friday, Mekies was asked for his thoughts on “the pantomime outside the Mercedes motorhome”, as the reporter who asked the question put it. In response, the Frenchman suggested he did not view it as an attempt to put pressure on Red Bull.

He said: “As much as it may sound exciting to see that from the outside, I really don’t think there is an intention particularly behind. If any of these guys wants to have a chat, it’s going to be a story anyway.

“So, we speak all the time with Max and with Jos. It’s completely natural that they can have a conversation with Toto. Max was racing in a Mercedes last week, a GT3. So, I genuinely don’t think it’s part of a game plan to get a message or another through.”

Verstappen has also been linked with McLaren, since the news was confirmed that his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, will join the Woking-based outfit when his Red Bull contract expires. Asked in the same press conference if he is worried that his star driver could reunite with his long-serving ally, Mekies replied: “No, I’m not concerned with Max following GP.

“We always have this joke. We are not going to ask Max every week if he’s going to stay. Max is telling us he’s happy at Red Bull. He is involved in every strategic decision we are making. He is at the heart of the project. He is pushing with us and we both want the same thing, getting back to a more competitive package. And he is central to that.”