Formula 1: Jos Verstappen denies Mercedes rumors about son Max

By Asher Fair | Apr 10, 2019

BAHRAIN, BAHRAIN - MARCH 31: Max Verstappen of Netherlands and Red Bull Racing walks on the drivers parade before the F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain at Bahrain International Circuit on March 31, 2019 in Bahrain, Bahrain. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /

Jos Verstappen has denied rumors that Mercedes have been contacting his son Max to drive for the team in the 2020 Formula 1 season.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing manager Helmut Marko revealed yesterday that Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team principal and CEO Toto Wolff has contacted Max Verstappen and his father, former Formula 1 driver Jos Verstappen, on several occasions over the last few months to try to lure Max to the Silver Arrows for the 2020 Formula 1 season.

Verstappen signed a contract extension to continue driving for Red Bull Racing through the 2020 season, but Marko also revealed that this contract contains a performance clause. As a result, if the Milton Keynes-based team do not give the 21-year-old Dutchman a car capable of competing for this year’s championship, he is free to pursue other options for next year.

However, Jos Verstappen has shot down rumors that Wolff has been contacting his son about potentially becoming the teammate to five-time champion Lewis Hamilton in the 2020 season. Here is what he had to say about the matter, according to Express.

"“That’s nonsense. Toto never calls Max. I don’t even think he has his number. I occasionally speak to Toto, but that makes sense. We are very satisfied with Red Bull and the cooperation with Honda. We are working together to make a dream come true.”"

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While Jos did claim that Wolff doesn’t call Max, he did confirm two things that Marko said pertaining to the idea of the younger Verstappen driving for Mercedes in the 2020 season.

He confirmed that he has, in fact, talked to Wolff from time to time, and he stated that he and Max are “very satisfied” with Red Bull Racing and Honda. Red Bull Racing ended their 12-year partnership with Renault ahead of the 2019 season and switched their engine manufacturer from Renault to Honda in the hopes of getting better reliability and more power out of their engines, two things that have gone to plan, at least to an extent, through the season’s first two races.

In other words, Jos is saying that his son is leaning toward staying with Red Bull Racing as of now because of his satisfaction with their improvement in performance relative to recent years. As a result, he is inherently revealing that the performance clause that Marko referenced does, in fact, exist and that Max could very well leave the team at the end of the 2019 season, perhaps to join Mercedes, if he does not remain satisfied.

One way or the another, the Verstappen to Mercedes rumors are certainly not dead, not even based on Jos’s quote alone.

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Is it true that Toto Wolff has contacted Max Verstappen several times over the last few months, or is that a false statement made by Helmut Marko like Jos Verstappen is saying it is? Regardless, these recent revelations have caused Formula 1 silly season to heat up far earlier than usual, and don’t expect that to change anytime soon.

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