Wolff's long term interest in Verstappen is well-known, with the Mercedes boss previously admitting conversations with the four-time world champion during the 2025 season.

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 has warned George Russell that he is "always temporary" despite a strong start to 2026.

However, speaking to Austrian outlet oe24, Wolff has moved to distance Mercedes from the Dutchman.

The Silver Arrows boss expressed surprised that such speculation would crop up only two races into the 2026 campaign

"The astonishing thing is that these silly rumours are already surfacing in March," Wolff said.

Wolff then shifted the focus to his current drivers, each with "long-term" contracts and keeping Mercedes happy with their performances.

Elsewhere in the interview with oe24, Wolff downplayed the heavy driver criticism of the 2026 regulations, of which Verstappen has been the most vocal critic.

For Wolff, the most important critics for F1 to take notice of are the fans, who he claims are mostly happy with the new rules.

For all of their early dominance in 2026, Wolff has refused to get too excited with Mercedes' impressive form.

In the usual preview ahead of the Suzuka weekend, Wolff noted the team’s strong start to the season, but also pointed out what hasn’t gone to plan and where improvements will be needed to prevent issues from recurring.

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