Max Verstappen and Toto Wolff are holding 'SECRET TALKS in Sardinia' over Mercedes move, claims Ralf Schumacher.
Schumacher claims Verstappen will announce his decision 'during the summer break' and that secretive talks between Mercedes principal Wolff and Verstappen are being held in Sardinia.
11 July 2025
ADAM POGRUND
MailOnline

'It's no coincidence that two boats are sailing off Sardinia this week,' he told the Formel1.de YouTube channel. 'One belongs to Toto Wolff, and the other to Max Verstappen. I could imagine them having a coffee together sometime.'

Following Schumacher's comments, Verstappen private jet was reportedly tracked to the Italian island. Mercedes principal Wolff refused to rule out a move ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix last month.

'SECRET TALKS’;

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...oto-Wolff.html


Max Verstappen's family member drops huge bombshell to leave podcast host stunned after Christian Horner sacking
Christian Horner was sacked by Red Bull Racing this week.
11 Jul 2025
Marcus Chan
SPORTbible

Speaking recently, Nelson Piquet Jr, who is the uncle of Verstappen's daughter, dropped a huge bombshell about the Dutchman's future. He said on the Pelas Pistas Podcast: "There are weekends this year when things just don't work out. There's not much to do about it."

"One of their drivers is a rookie, who was then unfortunately hit by Hadjar last weekend. In any case, it was not the weekend for Mercedes. But who knows what next year might bring when Max is driving there! He will race in Formula 1 in 2026. I think he will make a decision by August." Piquet immediately went quiet after that sentence, but the podcast host had already picked up on the comment.

Although he admitted that nothing has been contractually confirmed, Piquet stated that Mercedes is a logical choice if Verstappen were to leave Red Bull. When asked who would be Verstappen's teammate at Mercedes if the blockbuster move does go ahead, Piquet said: "It will be Kimi Antonelli. If he goes there, it will be Antonelli."

‘Huge bombshell’;

https://www.sportbible.com/f1/max-ve...15993-20250711


HERD MENTALITY OVER RED BULL ‘CALAMITOUS’ PERFORMANCES
July 11, 2025
thejudge13

As the dust settles on the revolution under way in Milton Keynes, a huge array of reasoning is being assembled as to why Christian Horner was sacked. The reason his departure is so shocking is that the timing is less than ideal as the biggest change in F1 regulations is coming just months away.

Horner was the hero beat at Red Bull Racing and cutting off the head of the tight knit organisation at this time may well lead to disastrous results. The staff who spoke to Sky F1 just hours after they heard their leader tell them he had been sacked by men in grey suits in Austria were to a person, “emotional” and “angry.”

TJ13 has learned around some 100 Red Bull employee CV’s have already landed in Cadillac’s inbox as the brain drain for real is surely about to start in proper. Much has been made of a number of senior staff leaving Red Bull in recent years, with the high profile Adrian Newey cited as the prime example as he joined Aston Martin this season.

‘Some 100 Red Bull employee CV’s have already landed in Cadillac’s inbox’;

https://thejudge13.com/2025/07/11/he...-performances/


'No coincidence': Tracking data fuels rumours of Max Verstappen's secret meeting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff
July 12, 2025
Damien McCartney
Channel 9's Wide World of Sports

Max Verstappen's rumoured move to Mercedes has gathered more strength after a wild theory of a secret meeting with Toto Wolff was bolstered by internet sleuths. Former driver Ralf Schumacher earlier this week said two yachts owned separately by Verstappen and the Mercedes boss were both off the coast of Sardinia.

On Friday night (AEST), the Flight Radar website tracked Verstappen's private jet landing on the Italian island. "It's no coincidence either that this week, two yachts are cruising off Sardinia – one belongs to Toto Wolff, the other to Max Verstappen," Schumacher told Formel1.de this week.

It's believed Schumacher made the comments before Christian Horner's shock axing on Wednesday night (AEST). Although speculation is rife, it's not yet clear if Horner's dismissal has any direct connection to Verstappen's contract.

‘Tracking data fuels rumours’;

https://www.nine.com.au/sport/motors...12-p5mefm.html


Damon Hill shares his biggest ‘doubt’ about Red Bull’s future after Christian Horner sacking
10 July 2025
Tyler Rowlinson
F1 Oversteer

Damon Hill has ‘doubt’ that Red Bull will not have the ‘great new beginning’ after sacking Christian Horner. News of Horner’s sacking came almost out of nowhere and left fans and pundits alike stunned. Bernie Ecclestone does not understand why Horner was sacked with immediate effect, stating that something must have gone horribly wrong for this drastic decision to be made.

Damon Hill was left questioning if this was the right decision. Writing via X (formerly Twitter), he doubts whether Red Bull will have the ‘great new beginning’ they hope for after making such a drastic change. “CH enjoyed massive support from the team he built. I really doubt if a replacement will be able to fill those boots. This might not be the great new beginning some are hoping for. A Palace Coup rarely has good outcomes. But it will be a huge story for F1, seeing how this goes.” said Hill.

“CH enjoyed massive support from the team he built. I really doubt if a replacement will be able to fill those boots”;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/dam...orner-sacking/


Christian Horner and his ‘loyal followers’ may now put together a ‘package’ to buy Red Bull F1 rivals
11 July 2025
Ashley Hambly
F1 Oversteer

Christian Horner ‘might wish’ to return to F1 in new colours with ‘loyal followers’. On JoeBlogsF1, journalist Joe Saward thinks Horner’s best next step would be to go down the ownership route in F1 due to the ever-expanding growth that the sport is experiencing.

“Now is the perfect time to own a Formula 1 team,” he wrote. “They are making money and their valuations are increasing with every passing month. “I can imagine that Horner might wish to put together a consortium and buy another team. The loyal followers would go with him.” Buying an F1 team won’t be difficult for Christian Horner if he has a ‘credible package’

If Horner did want to go down the route of purchasing an F1 team or starting from scratch, his 20-year stint at Red Bull will make him a standout candidate for struggling teams. As the first and, until recently, only team principal of the Austrian racing outfit, the Brit enjoyed periods of great success with the team, highlighted by eight Drivers’ Championships and six Constructors’ Championships.

‘Horner might wish to put together a consortium and buy another team’;

https://www.f1oversteer.com/news/chr...ull-f1-rivals/


Green Notebook from Marsh Gibbon
July 11, 2025
Joe Saward

When the news broke of Horner’s departure on Wednesday. It was a massive surprise. With 20 and a half years in charge of Red Bull Racing, Christian was the longest-serving of them all, by a considerable margin. Toto Wolff has been in charge at Mercedes since 2012, but after him the team principal who has been in the job longest is Andrea Stella -and he has been there for just two and a half years. The others are all newer than that. One would be forgiven for thinking that being an F1 team principal is like being a football manager.
I fear that the removal of Horner will not be good news for the team. Red Bull Racing is in many respects Horner Racing. He built it and made it successful. Red Bull paid for it. This in part is one of the reasons for the change. Those in charge in Austria do not like the fact that Horner can be viewed as more important than they are. When Dietrich Mateschitz was still alive, there was never much politics. Mateschitz trusted Horner and Christian was in charge. He oversaw 14 World Championships, helping Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen to multiple titles. Success came in cycles, but when times were hard in 2015 and Red Bull failed to win a race, Mateschitz kept his faith in Horner. This paid off. In 2022 Red Bull won 21 of 22 races – a 95.45 percent record, which was even more successful that McLaren’s famous 1988 season, when Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost won 15 of 16 races.

Laurent Mekies is a good guy, but winning over the hearts and minds of Horner Racing will not be easy – and there are no shortage of jobs for experienced people to go to in motorsport valley. Those who have seen how the new Red Bull management has dealt with Horner, may prefer not to stay. I think that those who pushed Horner out will soon regret it and one can only wonder what Mateschitz would have thought of there antics of his successors. People who fiddle with F1 teams without understanding what they are doing create the Alpines of tomorrow.

‘Those who pushed Horner out will soon regret it’;

https://joesaward.wordpress.com/2025...-marsh-gibbon/