Wolff accused of 'intentionally lowballing' Verstappen in Mercedes contract approach

The four-time world champion has long been linked with a move to Mercedes. He was most strongly linked after Lewis Hamilton's move to Ferrari, however talk of a switch to the Silver Arrows has quietened down, especially since Mercedes appear to have struck gold with Kimi Antonelli.

Verstappen moved a step closer to a simple departure from Red Bull at the Barcelona GP. The Dutchman has an option in his contract that allows him to break his agreement (set to expire at the end of 2028) if he is not in the top two in the championship at the start of the summer break.

Speaking to Sky Sports Germany, Schumacher said that the options for Verstappen are limited, with Ferrari seeming to be happy with their partnership of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton. Leclerc recently signed a new deal, while Hamilton's confidence is back as shown by his Barcelona GP victory.

Mercedes meanwhile appear to have the star of the future in Antonelli, who leads the championship by 41 points with five wins from the opening seven races. George Russell, despite his struggles this season, is also still a strong title contender, with no hint that Mercedes are looking to replace the Brit anytime soon.

Schumacher said: "At Mercedes, we hear that Toto Wolff made him an offer behind the scenes. But the offer was apparently so bad, financially speaking, that it’s completely out of the question. I think that’s intentional, because again, I’ve said it before, why would Toto Wolff, if everything goes as planned, get an expensive Max Verstappen alongside Kimi Antonelli, the future superstar?"

The German has also previously claimed that it would be "crazy" for Mercedes to sign Verstappen and put him alongside Antonelli. After finishing fourth at the Barcelona GP, Verstappen is seventh in the drivers' standings, 101 points behind championship leader Antonelli.