Over the past week, speculation about Max Verstappen’s future has been fueled by two events: his meeting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff in Sardinia, as well as his private plane’s visit to Red Bull headquarters in Salzburg.
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Photos posted on social media show the four-time world champion enjoying a few days of vacation in Sardinia with Kelly Piquet, while Toto and Susie Wolff were also present on the island.
The shots notably show the Wolff couple on jet skis and Verstappen with his partner in the water (photo above).
Meeting offshore
These images immediately reignited rumors of a possible transfer to Mercedes. However, as last year, nothing suggests that this meeting had a professional nature. Twelve months ago, Verstappen’s and Wolff’s yachts were both moored off Sardinia, a summer destination that both men regularly visit.
Moreover, this is not the first time they have spent their holidays in the same place. During the summer of 2025, a similar situation had already fueled speculation about a possible departure of Verstappen to Mercedes. At the time, several media outlets indicated that their exchanges were purely friendly and that no contractual discussions had taken place.
After last year’s summer break, Verstappen himself had joked about all the fuss: “I had clearly said that I was staying with Red Bull. The fact that Toto and I were sitting next to each other during the holidays obviously didn’t help.”
Holidays among friends
The Dutchman explained that their conversations were about everything except Formula 1: “I love Sardinia, he does too. I waved to him, we had lunch together and the kids played together. When we’re there, we talk about everything except Formula 1. You can have very pleasant conversations with Toto and Susie.”
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Toto Wolff also downplayed the significance of this meeting: “Just because we spend our holidays near each other doesn’t mean we’re going to work together in Formula 1. We have always gotten along well and it just so happens that we choose similar holiday destinations.”
At the same time, the journey made this week by Verstappen’s private plane also raised many questions. On Tuesday, the aircraft left Nice to join Sardinia, where the yacht Unleash the Lion was moored, before heading to Red Bull headquarters in Salzburg. A few hours later, it took off again towards Nice.
A truce conducive to meetings
According to several hypotheses, Verstappen would have been dropped off with his family in Sardinia while his manager, Raymond Vermeulen, would have continued the trip to Austria to attend a meeting with Red Bull executives. None of these elements have, however, been officially confirmed.
This is not the first time the Dutch driver’s private plane has been spotted in Salzburg. In June already, Verstappen, Raymond Vermeulen, and several Red Bull officials had met there. The content of this meeting has never been made public.
At this stage, while the coincidence between Verstappen’s and Wolff’s presence in Sardinia, as well as the pilot’s plane passing through Salzburg, continues to fuel speculation, no concrete element allows us to affirm that negotiations between Mercedes and the four-time world champion are currently underway.
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