F1 paddock ‘source’ reveals the message Max Verstappen sent Toto Wolff

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Max Verstappen’s title defence in 2025 is proving to be more difficult than expected, after the Dutchman fell over 50 points behind in the points standings after the Austrian Grand Prix.

After a strong finish at the Canadian GP in which Verstappen finished in second, it would be a tough weekend for Red Bull at their home race in Austria.

Verstappen only put together a lap that was good enough for seventh, after a yellow flag prevented him from improving.

That put him in the danger zone for the start, with his race eventually only lasting three corners before he was taken out by Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

It came at a time when rumours emerged over the weekend that Verstappen could be tempted to make a move to Mercedes, breaking away from his contract early, which is supposed to run until 2028.

According to a report by The Race, sources within the F1 paddock have clarified the chain of events that led to Verstappen being linked to a move to the Silver Arrows.

Max Verstappen contacted Toto Wolff for ‘chat about the future’

Verstappen is unhappy with the situation with Red Bull after they have struggled to identify the root cause of their problems with the RB21.

F1 technical expert Gary Anderson feels Red Bull are dealing with a problem they don’t understand, following the exit of their genius design guru Adrian Newey.

It has unsettled Verstappen over the Austrian GP weekend, and now Red Bull could face losing their star driver.

According to the report, Toto Wolff is seeking a driver change at Mercedes and talks about a potential drive outside of Red Bull were “kicked off” by the Verstappen camp, who recently approached him to have a “chat about the future.”

How can Max Verstappen exit his Red Bull contract?

An exit clause in Verstappen’s contract was triggered at the end of June when he retired from the Austrian GP, which dictates that he must be inside the top two places.

As he is now 51 points away from Lando Norris in the standings, Verstappen is still third overall, which means he can activate the exit clause should he want to in future.

Mercedes want to fill the void left by Lewis Hamilton, and a move to the team would make commercial sense for them, given he has established himself as one of the all-time greats.

No contract is set in stone forever, and a driver whose desire is to move away can always find a method to do so, but it’s agreeing on the terms of an exit that suits both parties.