'Another Verstappen & Toto photo emerges as Wolff welcomes a Kimi-Max line-up'

In Sardinia, Wolff and Verstappen were pictured together during the summer break for the second consecutive year. They were joined by their partners, Susie Wolff and Kelly Piquet.

Ben Hunt, GPblog's lead columnist said about the situation: "Assuming that it is real, it's incredible that it's happened two years in a row, isn't it? I mean, what are the chances that they go to the same spot of sea and are spotted together having a cosy chat and whatnot.

He continued: "I feel for them on a level, you know, they've got their private time, it's whatever they want to do. I think that there are links between them that go beyond the relationship that we see fundamentally as a Mercedes boss and a Red Bull driver.

Sardinia is once again becoming a hotspot for Formula 1 drivers enjoying some time off. A few days after Mercedes CEO and team principal Wolff and Verstappen were pictured together in Italy, the current championship leader was also spotted aboard the Austrian's yacht.

Over the past years, Verstappen was frequently linked to Mercedes as well. When asked about the four-time world champion, Wolff did not rule out having Antonelli and Verstappen at the team together at one point in the future.

He told Sky Sports Germany: "You have to give Kimi time to develop. Max is driving at his peak. He can do everything. The two respect each other. They're from different generations. But having both of them in one team is, of course, a completely different starting point."

Still, the Austrian underlined that he is satisfied with the team's current driver line-up as well.