Max Verstappen is reportedly worried about Mercedes' car with the 26-year-old currently unlikely to leave Red Bull for their rivals.
Verstappen has dominated F1 in recent years, with the Dutchman winning the last three titles to establish himself as the best driver on the planet.
However, amid the ongoing Christian Horner saga, Verstappen's future with the team is up in the air.
Red Bull have also lost Adrian Newey and his departure has fuelled talk that Verstappen could follow the engineer out of the exit door.
Max Verstappen is currently unlikely to leave Red Bull for Mercedes at the end of the season
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However, according to Auto Motor und Sport, Verstappen is worried about his chances of glory if he swaps Red Bull for their fierce rivals.
The Silver Arrows are unable to produce a car that Verstappen 'would want to sit in'.
Mercedes, for many years, were dominant.
Lewis Hamilton has won six of his seven titles with the team, with his last victory coming back in 2020.
But with Mercedes struggling to compete with Red Bull in the years since, it appears their chances of recruiting Verstappen are dead in the water.
Mercedes currently have George Russell on their books - but landing a top replacement for Hamilton is difficult.
It was recently suggested that the team would hold a meeting with Verstappen and his family in order to boost their chances of securing his signature.
And Wolff was coy when quizzed on Verstappen after the recent Miami Grand Prix.
"There's always plenty of meetings," said the Austrian.
"I can't really say about the second driver. I think we've talked about the possibilities.
"I want to be fair to these guys and not make it look like we are playing chess with humans, because we are not doing that.
"I think we want to take our time, see where Max's thinking goes, and at the same time, monitor the other drivers.
"Carlos [Sainz] was very strong in Miami again and that's why we are a little bit on an observation mode at the moment.
"As I said before, if I was him [Verstappen], I wouldn't leave, at least for 2025.
"But it's all in his… he's the leading the driver, he's the top guy at the moment and that's why it's for him to take those decisions.
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Max Verstappen is worried about Mercedes' car amid uncertainty over his Red Bull future
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"There may not be any decisions to take, maybe everything continues like it is, but that is then also guidance for us."
Red Bull chief Horner, meanwhile, recently criticised Wolff for his attempts to poach Verstappen.
And he also insisted Verstappen would be staying, instead of departing for a new challenge.
“I don’t think Toto’s problems are his drivers,” Horner said.
“He has other elements he needs to focus on, rather than focusing on drivers that are unavailable.
Christian Horner is adamant Max Verstappen won't be ditching Red Bull for Mercedes
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"Mercedes are behind their customer teams at the moment. His time would be better spent focusing on the team than the driver market. Sometimes it is just designed to create noise.
“I can assure you that there is no ambiguity as to where Max Verstappen will be next year. I don’t know how many more times Max can say he is staying.
"Today we moved ahead of Mercedes in terms of races won in the modern era. So, the team is in form. Why on earth would you want to leave?”
