Jos tells friends Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull amid Toto Wolff meeting

Jos Verstappen has reportedly told friends that Max Verstappen could be forced to leave Red Bull following a meeting with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.

While Wolff has played down the public meeting with Jos, speculation is rife that the reigning world champion is being eyed up as a replacement for Lewis Hamilton.

According to The Telegraph, Jos has made it clear that his son could leave Red Bull if the Christian Horner situation isn't resolved.

Max dominated the season-opener in Bahrain by over 20 seconds ahead of teammate Sergio Perez.

As a result, it looks extremely likely he will run away with the title in 2024 and become a four-time champion.

While everything is rosy on track for Red Bull, off-track, it’s the complete opposite.

Ahead of the first race of the year, team boss Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing after allegations of inappropriate behaviour had emerged.

The saga hasn’t stopped there though after alleged evidence was leaked to F1’s accredited media and senior personnel - although the validity of it hasn’t been verified.

The ongoing situation might have fractured Red Bull internally, or at least Horner’s relationship with Jos.

Jos made clear on Saturday that there’s “tension” within the team, with Red Bull in danger of being “torn apart” amid the controversy around Horner.

Jos’ comments combined with his public chat with Wolff, has led to suggestions that his son could be tempted to jump ship and join Mercedes.

However, unsurprisingly, Wolff has played it down.

As quoted by F1-Insider, Wolff responded to questions about his chat with Jos after the race: “I have known Jos for 25 years – with ups and downs and I simply congratulated on his son’s achievement. Max is driving in a galaxy of his own.”

Wolff was then pressed about whether Verstappen could join the team, he replied: “Everything is possible.”

The Mercedes boss also was asked about Verstappen during his press session with the English media in Bahrain.

He said about signing Verstappen: “A driver will always choose the quickest car, that is fundamentally what it is all about.”