Toto Wolff snared by Mercedes F1 fans demanding Max Verstappen signing

Max Verstappen

Toto Wolff snared by Mercedes F1 fans demanding Max Verstappen signing

The incident happened at the Austrian Grand Prix last time out

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Thursday 2 July 2026 23:15

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Mercedes F1 boss Toto Wolff was hounded by fans at the recent Austrian Grand Prix, calling for him to sign four-time world champion Max Verstappen.

Verstappen's long-term future at Red Bull has been called into question recently, amid his Red Bull team's slump in form in 2026, and it's been revealed that he has exit clauses in his contract, which strictly speaking runs until the end of the 2028 season.

Wolff has been a long-time admirer of Verstappen, and has publicly pursued his services in each of the last two seasons, but George Russell and Kimi Antonelli's form in 2026 has meant that the Dutchman is not a consideration for them at this moment in time.

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Russell has already confirmed that he will be at Mercedes in 2027, and Antonelli is also highly likely to remain with the team who have allowed him to claim five grand prix wins already this season.

But despite this, fans at Verstappen's 'second home race' at Austria were calling on Wolff to go ahead and sign Verstappen ahead of next season. They started the song "Toto, sign Max," a chant that has now gone viral on social media.

They shouted it at Wolff, who turned around and waved to the fans next to the pit lane garages.

As things stand, it would appear as though Verstappen would have a much better chance of winning the drivers' championship with Mercedes than Red Bull, who are currently sat down in fourth in the constructors' championship and have not won a grand prix in 2026.

Will Verstappen leave Red Bull?

Verstappen's manager Raymond Vermeulen recently revealed that Verstappen has an exit clause in his contract, and it's largely been reported that this clause is performance-related, whereby Verstappen would be free to leave the team if he is not in the top two of the championship by a certain date.

The date at which that comes in to play has been the subject of wild speculation, but the Hungarian GP in July has been the most-rumoured date. Verstappen is currently seventh in the standings, and the Hungarian GP is in just three weeks time.

There has been no indication from the Dutchman as of yet that he would want to depart the team amid the exit clause, although this is now the third season in a row that he has been linked with a move away.

Of course, the main rumours surrounding Verstappen's future this year have involved the idea that he could walk away from the sport entirely.

Verstappen has been very critical of the 2026 regulations, claiming the new cars are 'not fun' to drive.

Back in April, it was even reported that he was 'seriously considering' retiring from the sport at the age of just 28, although that appears to be off the cards for now.

F1 Max Verstappen Mercedes Toto Wolff