© LAT Images for Mercedes-Benz Grand Prix Ltd
Red Bull’s advisor Dr Helmut Marko discusses the alleged meeting between Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen’s camp over the summer break.
Ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff said he met with Max Verstappen’s camp during the summer break, to discuss the possibility of the Dutch driver jumping to Mercedes.
When asked about this, Red Bull’s advisor Dr Helmut Marko said it’s normal for Wolff to try and acquire Max’s services.
“He wouldn’t be a good team principal if he wouldn’t try to get Max,” Marko told the Inside Line podcast.
“I think every top team would like to have Max. The other story [of a summer break meeting] – all the people live in Monte Carlo.
“Monte Carlo, when it’s not the grand prix, it’s quite a quiet place. There are not so many coffee shops. So, it’s just natural that you run into each other, and of course, Toto makes a story out of it.
“On the other hand, Jos is a bigger fan of Toto than he is of Christian.”
The Austrian added Max is tied to Red Bull for now, but things could change in the future.
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“Every contract with a top F1 driver has exit clauses which are mainly based on performance.
“At the moment, Max is focused on winning the championship, as a team is focused on winning the championship, and we have to look forward.
“2026, there are new rules coming. Nobody knows at the moment who will have a competitive engine.
“[Look] what happened in 2014 when all of a sudden the engine we used was at least 50 horsepower or more behind and was not reliable, you really don’t know what will happen
“But at the moment, everything is clear – Max will drive for Red Bull Racing next season, and we have to give him a car that he can win.
“And then all these rumours will stop,” Marko concluded.
