"I can’t imagine Toto Wolff wanting Max Verstappen" - Jacques Villeneuve on Mercedes boss luring Red Bull star to replace Lewis Hamilton

Former F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve reckons Toto Wolff was only luring Max Verstappen to Mercedes just to ruffle Red Bull's feathers.

After Red Bull team boss Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior by a female employee, he was investigated by the team's parent company. Even when he was cleared of all charges, the situation kept getting worse when an anonymous email leaked alleged conversations between Horner and the employee. This sparked loads of controversy around the defending world champions.

Rumors emerged that Max Verstappen could be leaving the Austrian team due to all the chaos surrounding them. After Max's father, Jos Verstappen, publicly criticized Christian Horner and had a meeting with Toto Wolff, many started speculating that the Dutchman could replace Lewis Hamilton, who would move to Ferrari in 2025.

Amid all the rumors, Toto Wolff publicly addressed the possibility of Verstappen joining Mercedes and how he wanted the Dutchman before Red Bull hired him in 2016.

According to The Express, Jacques Villeneuve opined that the Mercedes boss was only pulling Red Bull's leg by urging Max Verstappen to join his team. He simply could not imagine the three-time world champion in Silver Arrows, particularly after the infamous 2021 F1 season. Villeneuve believed that Wolff was simply trying to rock Red Bull's boat even more.

“I can’t imagine Toto Wolff wanting Max. The only way he would entertain the idea would just be to annoy Red Bull. I can’t see him at Mercedes because they lost the championship to Red Bull and Max. It would definitely not be because he really wanted Max. It would be more to do with wanting to get at Red Bull,” former Canadian F1 driver said.

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Max Verstappen plays down rumors of him leaving Red Bull

Max Verstappen recently addressed rumors about him leaving Red Bull and joining Mercedes. Speaking to the Dutch publication AD, he stated that though his future at Red Bull was in question a few weeks back, it was now resolved.

He also addressed rumors and speculations and urged people not to read everything. The 26-year-old openly invited anyone in the Austrian team to directly talk to him if they had questions about his future.

"At the moment nobody is afraid of that, I think. Two weeks back, though? Mwah, that may be. But some people also read a lot, I don’t. And I think in general that does help. That’s what I do try to tell people, yes, that they better not read it all for a while, certain things. And if there are any questions, anyone in the team can always call me,” Verstappen said (via PlanetF1).

As of now, there are no concrete announcements about Max Verstappen moving away from Red Bull. His current contract with the Austrian team is till 2028.