Max Verstappen, Red Bull, Shanghai International Circuit, 2019

Verstappen denies report Wolff ‘calls him all the time’

2019 Chinese Grand Prix

Posted on

| Written by and

Max Verstappen has denied claims he is in regular contact with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.

Reports earlier this week quoted Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko stating Wolff makes frequent calls to the Verstappen family.

When asked by RaceFans today in Shanghai about the reports Verstappen said: “I was surprised when I read that because first of all I never speak to Toto. He never calls me. He doesn’t even have my number. So I found it funny.”

Verstappen admitted Wolff does speak to his father, former Formula 1 driver Jos. “They do talk sometimes but it’s mainly about babies and go-karting.”

Red Bull and Mercedes both made approaches to Verstappen before he signed for the former and made his grand prix debut with Toro Rosso in 2015. Mercedes potentially has a vacancy in its driver line-up for the 2020 F1 season as Valtteri Bottas is out of contract at the end of the year.

RaceFans understands Verstappen has a get-out clause in his Red Bull contract which releases the driver if the team is lower than third in the constructors’ championship at a certain point in the season. Verstappen would not confirm the existence of the clause when asked by RaceFans.

“I cannot talk about my contract,” he said. “I never talk about the contract, I think it’s quite normal.”

Don't miss anything new from RaceFans

Follow RaceFans on social media:

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2019 F1 season

Browse all 2019 F1 season articles

32 comments on “Verstappen denies report Wolff ‘calls him all the time’”

  1. Not easy for RBR to be lower than 3rd in the WCC.
    Even if Verstappen only finishes 5th behind MER/FER and Gasly misses the points, it’ll take a real contender (Haas, Renault, McLaren) 6 perfect weekends to catch them.

    Of course if Verstappen wants out, then he could go back to his performance level of early last year ;)

  2. Max denies phone calls with Toto.

    Everyone denies phone calls with Fernando.

  3. I heard about the contact between Wolff and the Verstappens just this morning Aus time, they did not say which Verstappen. But I’m guessing there may be a bit of fire behind this smoke. Hamilton is signed till 2020 so is Bottas gone at the end of the yr, what about Ocon he is as quick as Verstappen, imagine those two in the same team in 2021.
    If there is a get out clause does that reflect on how much faith Verstappen has in Honda?

    1. I doubt LH is going anywhere. I see no evidence that Ocon is as quick as Max. Max’s get out clause if it exists would have been written in well before he could have known they were going with Honda. Even if team principals are talking to Max himself that would be normal and understandable. He’s a highly desirable driver to have. No harm in teams at least reminding him occasionally they’d take him in a heartbeat.

      1. I also see no evidence that Ocon (who I rate very highly) would do a better job than Bottas. Ocon also has a history of having less than harmonious relationships with his team mates, which could be significant given how highly Mercedes place this in their list of priorities.

      2. @robbie I never said Hamilton was going anywhere, I only refereed to Bottas possibly being replaced.

        Max’s get out clause if it exists would have been written in well before he could have known they were going with Honda

        Actually the negotiations for both were going on at the same time, I think the Verstappen deal was announced a little before. So in all likelihood Verstappen would have known about the Honda deal.
        I do concede that Verstappen apparently did have an “out” clause in his previous contract so it would make sense to have it extended to the new/current one.
        Past results in the Junior formulas and his efforts in Force India show that Ocon is as quick as Verstappan.
        Verstappen is a very good driver, but he is yet to prove he is a once in a generation talent like Hamilton or Alonso. If he can get into a WDC/WCC winning car he may do just that.

        @geemac Wolff does rate Ocon very highly other wise he would not have made sure he stayed in F1. I think Ocon will get the seat before Russel, although I do find it strange that Ocon did not get a start at the Bahrain tests. Maybe that would have been a bit to provocative towards Bottas?

        1. @johnrkh We’ll have to agree to disagree on a few things. Thought you were referring to LH being gone when you suggested Ocon and Max on the same team, and you meant Mercedes.

          Wrt contracts, my understanding is Max went to RBR in 17 to re-up with them, and it wasn’t until over a year later that Honda was officially announced as their new partners, last year. Perhaps Max already had an incling from inside their own walls though, I concede. He’d have known in 17 that they were either going to stick with Renault or start a fresh but steep learning curve with Honda, either way potential for use of an out clause. Perhaps in 17 Max knew that STR were going to have Honda and took that as the proof in the pudding.

          I personally have gleaned no vibe from Ocon anywhere near similar to that which I get from Max, in F1. I don’t follow what goes on in Junior formulae but that was then, this is now, and for me Max has already done plenty to show that all he needs is that which all WDC’s need which is the WCC car. He’s a cut above. In a league of his own, as in, undoubtedly Championshop bound. He will get the car sooner or later, of that I have no doubt.

          As an aside, methinks Honda is coming on strong, and will we very potent at a minimum by next season if not some time this season, and I would trust nobody more than Adrian Newey when it comes to nailing the new chapter, and he must be chomping at the bit for 2021, or even for June. If I’m Max, I’m thinking it might be darn hard to leave RBR.

          1. @robbie here is a story from 21/12/2017 re Verstappens Honda factory visit.
            The relationship between RB and Torro Rosso is such that once TR had signed up with Honda they became the test bed for RBs 2019 switch. Which no doubt contributed to the smooth progression from Renault to Honda for RB.
            Which brings me to another issue I have with the A & B teams system that some are running. But I think may be addressed with the 2021 changes.

        2. Ocon did not test in the Mercedes as two of the four in-season testing days must be carried out by rookies (two or less grand prix driven). Russell still qualifies as a rookie, Ocon doesn’t.

      3. Sure, that’s why they took him.
        @robbie

      4. The way how Toto spoke about LEC, makes me think he’d much rather have him instead.
        @robbie

    2. Ocon isn’t as quick as Verstappen imo, even though Sky commentary will continue to remind you that “Ocon beat Verstappen in F3”, the reality is that Ocon was in a top team (PREMA) and Verstappen drove for lower mid-field Van Amersfoort Racing and still nearly beat him. For a better comparison, VAR employed Leclerc the season after that (because Verstappen recommended him to Frits van Amersfoort as “the only driver that could beat me”), and he had a similar results (though less wins than Verstappen) and came in 4th to VER’s 3rd a year earlier.

      But even besides all that, Ocon isn’t going to drive for Mercedes unless something radical happens to George Russell, if anyone from the junior programming is moving into that Merc team, I’d bet on George before Ocon. I’m sure Toto wants to get him a seat somewhere next year, but I doubt it’ll be at Mercedes.

      1. @aiii

        I’d bet on George before Ocon. I’m sure Toto wants to get him a seat somewhere next year, but I doubt it’ll be at Mercedes.

        Force India, if he can’t be made to suffer another year at Williams.

      2. @aiii, when you say that “Verstappen drove for lower mid-field Van Amersfoort Racing and still nearly beat him”, I would disagree with the “almost beat him” assessment.

        At the end of the season, Ocon had 478 points against 411 for Verstappen – Ocon’s points total was 16% higher than that of Verstappen, or nearly three race victories clear, which I would say is a fairly significant margin in Ocon’s favour.

        There is also the added complexity that, just as there is the question of the influence of the teams, there is also a question of the condition of the cars that they drove. Whilst Ocon drove for Prema, his chassis, which was F312/015, has already been used for two seasons before being given to Ocon – given that, over time, the stiffness properties of carbon fibre do tend to degrade, that chassis was probably starting to lose a little bit of torsional stiffness.

        The chassis that Verstappen used that season (F314/009) was brand new, so it not unreasonable to suggest that it may have been in slightly better condition than the chassis that Ocon used.

        1. Verstappen had the most race wins, but also a 10 place grid penalty for three races in a row because of an engine change.

          Without these penalties he might have won, but easily would have been second.

          1. And also the most retirements of the top drivers.

      3. VAR wasn’t a lower midfield team. OCO comfortably beat VER; after the 7th of 11 rounds OCO significantly eased off and only played the safe points game, allowing the others to take wins and score more points than himself. LEC was rookie of the year, VER not. LEC defeated three future F1 drivers, VER only one. And the Prema team was in LECs year much, much more dominant than in VERs year in F3.

      4. VAR wasn’t a lower midfield team. OCO comfortably beat VER; after the 7th of 11 rounds OCO significantly eased off and only played the safe points game, allowing the others to take wins and score more points than himself. LEC was rookie of the year, VER not. LEC defeated three future F1 drivers, VER only one. And the Prema team was in LECs year much, much more dominant than in VERs year in F3.

    3. “JohnH .. If there is a get out clause does that reflect on how much faith Verstappen has in Honda?”

      That is nonsense .. he already signed his contract in october 2017 with Red Bull Racing .. by then Honda was not in the picture at all as an engine supplier for RBR !!!

  4. “Hello Max, the pack have caught us up.”

  5. Why would they talk about babies? What’s there to talk about such a topic, LOL?

    1. SparkyAMG (@)
      11th April 2019, 13:10

      I’d say Jos’s baby boy is quite an interesting topic.

    2. Jos and Toto both became father again so they both have babies right now …

  6. Even if the contact is based on reality, I think Mercedes is only checking the situation out in case of WHAT IF. So far it seems that this is going to be another Hamilton’s season as his performances are far more constant than Vettel’s and Bottas’, let alone the whole issue of Ferrari and the potential threat from Leclerc. Hamilton surely isn’t going to finnish now and it’s quite illogical to put Verstappen next to him, destabilizing the situation in the team. I rather expect George Russell to get the seat in 2020 and the next year’s situation will tell us more whether Hamilton’s staying in post-2020 F1. If he’ll retain the form and continues in his title harvest, I don’t see him retiring.

  7. That awkward age when your eyebrows are thicker than beard you have tried to grow for months.

  8. Of course they are looking at Verstappen after Hamilton. Who else?

    1. Maybe Russell, who’s shown he’s a real deal during a few testing days. He might be better than Verstappen, Leclerc and Norris, but we just don’t have the means to find out yet.

      1. @pironitheprovocateur Russell is currently walking around with another man’s helmet. Don’t think that’s what a $400m, 1000 staff operation will be banking on.

    2. @balue

      Exactly. Ferrari have found Leclerc.. I thought it was obvious that Mercedes would look at poaching Verstappen. I didn’t honestly think they would put all their faith in an Ocon or Russell anyways… Ocon is nowhere as special as Verstappen (despite his record in junior series) and Russell is just too young to hedge any bets on.

      I could bet my house on the fact that Verstappen will be Lewis’ replacement at Mercedes.

  9. Maybe Toto is not talking much to either Verstappen but much more to Max’ manager…

Comments are closed.