F1 Today | Wolff rejects 'silly' Verstappen rumours, Alonso late to Japan due to birth of first child
Photo: Race Pictures
Henry Eccles is a freelance Formula 1 journalist for GPblog, covering breaking news, live race blogs, and features across the F1 calendar. Since joining in 2026, he has produced high-volume reporting on the sport’s biggest stories, alongside feature pieces including analysis and historical content.
From Toto Wolff's 'astonishment' at having to shut down Verstappen to Mercedes rumours already in 2026, to Fernando Alonso partial absence from the Japanese GP weekend, here are the main stories from today, Wednesday, March 25.
Toto Wolff shuts down ‘silly’ Verstappen to Mercedes speculation
While Verstappen struggles with Red Bull's RB22, speculation has increased over his future, with F1 Nation's Jolyon Palmer suggesting talks between Verstappen and Mercedes are "going to happen," while Damon Hill warned George Russell that he is "always temporary" despite a strong start to 2026.
Mercedes boss Wolff, who has had a long-term interest in Verstappen, was asked about the continued rumours by Austrian publication oe24, and said he was astonished by such "silly" speculation cropping up as early as March.
Wolff said: "It's silly enough that you normally have to discuss these things in July. I don't know who brought this up again.
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"We have two drivers with whom we have long-term, multi-year contracts. I couldn't be happier with either of them.
"Both are delivering top performances, so there's absolutely no reason to even consider a lineup change, or other drivers. I say this with the utmost respect for Max."
Photo: Race Pictures
Alonso to miss part of Japanese GP weekend due to birth of first child
After it was confirmed that Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso will sit out FP1 in Japan for American talent Jak Crawford, the Silverstone team also announced the Spaniard would miss Thursday's media day due to "personal family reasons."
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In a statement on social media, Aston Martin said: "Fernando is arriving slightly later this weekend for personal family reasons and won’t be attending media day at the Japanese Grand Prix.
"All is well and he will be at the track in time for Friday."
Reports have since emerged that the family reason in question is the imminent birth of Alonso and long-time partner Melissa Jimenez' first child.
Photo: Race Pictures
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