Max Verstappen’s father reacts to Ralf Schumacher’s Mercedes low-ball F1 offer claim

Jos Verstappen has rubbished a claim from fellow ex-Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher that Mercedes made an attempt to prize Max Verstappen away from Red Bull.

Former F1 driver turned pundit Schumacher claimed Verstappen turned down an offer from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff due to it being “so bad” financially.

“There’s no spot at Ferrari right now,” Schumacher told the Backstage Boxengasse podcast.  “And at Mercedes, you hear that Wolff has made him an offer behind the scenes.

“But that offer was apparently so bad financially that it’s not an option anyway. That’s apparently what’s going on behind the scenes right now.”

But Verstappen’s father, Jos, has seemingly debunked the story.

Writing in a response to an Instagram post quoting Schumacher’s claim, Verstappen Sr said: “Ralf, again you bring wrong information.”

Verstappen’s future remains a hot topic with the four-time world champion weighing up his options.

The 28-year-old Dutchman has repeatedly warned that he could quit F1 at the end of the season due to his dissatisfaction at the current engine regulations, however, his stance appears to have softened following rule tweaks for 2027 and 2028. 

Verstappen currently lies seventh in the championship on 55 points, 101 down on Andrea Kimi Antonelli, following a difficult start to the 2026 campaign for Red Bull.

Although Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, his deal is believed to include several performance-related clauses that would enable him to leave earlier.

Reports in Dutch media claim Verstappen could exit Red Bull at the end of this year if he is not inside the top-two of the championship by the August summer break.

Mercedes has a long-standing interest in Verstappen, with Wolff publicly courting the Red Bull driver for months after Lewis Hamilton announced he was making a shock switch to Ferrari.

Hamilton was ultimately replaced by Antonelli, who, along with team-mate Russell, have multi-year agreements in place with Mercedes.

But that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from linking Verstappen with a switch to Mercedes.

In the build-up to last weekend’s Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, Verstappen met with Red Bull’s top brass for a meeting.

But Verstappen gave nothing away when asked about the meeting in Barcelona, simply responding: “If there is anything new about what I’m doing, I will let you know.”

Verstappen’s future is set to continue to dominate the F1 headlines over the coming weeks and months, given the magnitude of the repercussions any decision will have on the wider driver market.