Marko dismisses latest Verstappen to Mercedes Wolff claim

Helmut Marko has bluntly dismissed Toto Wolff’s claim of a meeting with Max Verstappen’s camp around a potential Mercedes drive.

Wolff has been on a charm offensive for most of 2024 trying to lure Verstappen away from Red Bull to fill the gap left by Lewis Hamilton, who is moving to Ferrari for 2025.

Despite his best efforts, Wolff looks set to fail in the bid for next season with Verstappen set to stay at Red Bull. 

Over the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, Wolff hinted that discussions had taken place with Verstappen’s camp including father Jos and manager Raymond Vermeulen over the summer break, where it was decided that a deal would not be reached for 2025, although the door was kept open for 2026.

“I thought all through the year that there was a window, or that there was a possibility,” Wolff explained. “It wasn’t zero.

“It’s pretty bumpy grounds there still – not only for performance reasons, but also because of interpersonal issues that we are all aware of.

“By the way, I have got on with Jos all my life, but maybe because we’re a bit similar. That’s why I thought the door was never completely closed.

“What were the odds of that happening? Maybe there were 10/1, 9/1. I didn’t want to give up.

“But then we together came to the conclusion over the summer that we shouldn’t be waiting for something to happen before committing for 2025. Let’s just continue our job.”

Marko responds

Responding to Wolff’s claim, Marko gave it short-shrift. 

“They all live in Monte Carlo, so it makes sense for them to meet and have coffee,” Marko told Motorsport.com. 

“I don’t know what they talk about then, but Wolff has obviously said some things. It is also part of the summer break that stories like this come up.”

The veteran motorsport advisor then simply declared that Red Bull must “focus on the 2024 championship”, with Verstappen holding a 70-point lead over Lando Norris in the drivers’ and Red Bull a 30-point advantage over McLaren.