Verstappen on holiday with Wolff, manager at Red Bull: more details revealed

On social media, images surfaced on Wednesday showing Verstappen enjoying a holiday in Sardinia with Kelly Piquet. Toto and Susie Wolff can also be seen. In the photos, Toto and Susie are on a jet ski, while Verstappen and Piquet are in the water.

The images immediately sparked speculation about the four-time world champion’s future, but it was in all likelihood - just like last year - a friendly get-together. After all, it’s not unusual for people from the F1 world to visit the same holiday destinations. It has now become clear, however, that the images are very likely genuine and very recent: both Verstappen’s superyacht and Wolff’s were moored off Sardinia. The island is a favorite of both Verstappen and Wolff.

This is not the first time that Verstappen and Wolff have stayed on the same island during the summer break. Last year, a similar encounter also led to many rumors about a possible move to Mercedes. GPblog was already able to report at the time that the conversation between the two men was friendly in nature and not about a contract or a transfer. There again seem to be no indications that this has changed.

Verstappen himself responded to all the commotion after last year’s summer break, despite having confirmed before the break that he would remain with Red Bull: "I had clearly said I was staying. The fact that Toto and I were sitting next to each other on holiday didn't really help, of course," he said at the time. The Dutchman explained that the meeting was nothing out of the ordinary: "I love Sardinia, he loves Sardinia. I waved at him, we had lunch together and the kids played together. When you're there, you talk about everything except Formula 1. You can have many pleasant conversations with him and Susie."

Wolff also played down expectations last year. The Mercedes team boss did not deny that there had been a meeting, but emphasized that sharing a holiday destination says nothing about a driver’s future: "Just because you vacation near each other doesn't mean you'll work together in Formula 1. We've always gotten along well. It just so happens that we also vacation in similar areas."

This is not the first time that Verstappen and Wolff have stayed on the same island during the summer break. Last year, a similar encounter also led to many rumors about a possible move to Mercedes. GPblog was already able to report at the time that the conversation between the two men was friendly in nature and not about a contract or a transfer. There again seem to be no indications that this has changed.

On Tuesday, the plane flew from Nice to Sardinia, where Verstappen’s yacht Unleash the Lion was moored. From there, the aircraft flew on to Red Bull’s headquarters in Salzburg, from where it departed back to Nice a few hours later. It is possible that Verstappen was first dropped off with his family on the Italian island, after which his manager continued on to Salzburg. However, nothing about this can be officially confirmed. What is clear is that Verstappen is enjoying a holiday with his family.

Incidentally, this is not the first time Verstappen’s aircraft has been spotted in Salzburg. In June as well, the private jet landed in the Austrian city, where Verstappen, manager Raymond Vermeulen, and the Red Bull leadership, among others, met. What exactly that conversation was about has never been disclosed.