Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen 'meeting' takes wild turn as FAKE pictures leaked online

Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 News & Gossip

Toto Wolff and Max Verstappen 'meeting' takes wild turn as FAKE pictures leaked online

Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff have had talks about a potential switch for the champion

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Monday 14 July 2025 17:58

Rumours of a Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff meeting following the British Grand Prix have taken a new twist after the release of some fake images went viral on social media.

Four-time world champion Verstappen's long-term future at Red Bull has been speculated upon in recent weeks, particularly after Helmut Marko said his future was of 'great concern', confirming exit clauses in the Dutchman's contract, which is due to run until 2028.

It was then confirmed by Mercedes team principal Wolff that talks had taken place, with both current drivers George Russell and Kimi Antonelli set to be out of contract at the end of this season.

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The departure of Christian Horner from Red Bull has then added fuel to the fire that all is not well with the Milton Keynes-based outfit, and Verstappen's future beyond the end of 2025 remains a mystery.

Now, however, it's been revealed that 'photos' of Wolff boarding Verstappen's private plane that have been circulating on social media are actually fake images.

Max Verstappen has been linked with a Mercedes move

It turns out that the images were from a plane spotting video after the 2022 Zandvoort GP, where Wolff boards his own private jet, which were then photoshopped to look like Verstappen's jet.

German publication Bild originally put the rumours of a meeting between the two parties to rest, citing a source at Mercedes, but the original, undoctored images have now been put on social media.

Will Verstappen leave Red Bull?

Verstappen has already confirmed that he will not be taking a sabbatical from F1 in 2026, as previously reported, but the team with whom he will be driving with after this year's Abu Dhabi GP is still seemingly up in the air.

The Dutchman suggested at Silverstone that he wants to finish his F1 career with Red Bull, but also hinted that may not be possible if they can't give him the fastest car.

Red Bull are currently sat down in fourth in the constructors' championship, and a challenge for either championship in 2025 seems to be out of reach.

Verstappen's hopes of securing a record-equalling fifth consecutive world title are all but over, as the Dutchman sits 69 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri having only secured two race wins from the opening 12 races of the season.

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