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Formula 1 fans have poked fun at the persistent rumours linking Max Verstappen to Mercedes following a post-race exchange with Toto Wolff at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Despite the Mercedes chief confirming that the Brackley outfit does not want to change its driver line-up for 2027, the moment Wolff congratulated the four-time champion on his second-place finish at the Red Bull Ring sparked satirical reactions across social media.
"Time to overreact," one fan commented on Reddit, while another responded, joking: "MAX VERSTAPPEN REPLACES KIMI ANTONELLI AT MERCEDES."
Someone else added: "MAX VERSTAPPEN TO REPLACE TOTO WOLFF AT MERCEDES. MAX VERSTAPPEN TO REPLACE BENZ AT MERCEDES-VERSTAPPEN FORMULA 1 TEAM."
"He's telling Max that he has the contract printed out," another fan wrote, referring to the viral Drive to Survive moment between Wolff and former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Further comments included: "Handshake to confirm the contract. Clear as day. I know a contract handshake when I see one and this is one of those," and "This has to mean that Max becomes team principal at Merc surely."
Verstappen's second place at the Austrian Grand Prix marked his best result of the 2026 to date. He joined race winner George Russell and current championship leader Kimi Antonelli on the podium.
"Toto must be happy to see two- er, three of his sons on the podium," another comment read.
"At this point, the whole grid are his sons. Kimi, Russell, Ham, Bottas, Max, etc.," another fan responded.
Mercedes has enjoyed a strong start to 2026, winning every grand prix so far apart from the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, which marked Lewis Hamilton's first grand prix victory with Ferrari.
The Wolff-led team leads the constructors' championship with 302 points, followed by Ferrari in second with 204 points and McLaren in third with 159 points.
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