Jos Verstappen "is a bigger fan" of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff than Red Bull chief Christian Horner, according to the latter's colleague, Dr Helmut Marko.
The father of Red Bull's star driver Max Verstappen publicly called for Horner to leave the team earlier this year after the team principal had been accused of inappropriate behaviour by a female colleague.
Horner has since been cleared by a Red Bull investigation, but Wolff has - quite openly - been trying to capitalise on the unrest by attempting to sign the reigning world champion, with the Austrian recently revealing he had a meeting with Verstappen's representatives over the summer as he seeks a replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.
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Asked about Wolff's pursuit of Verstappen and the summer meeting, Marko told the Inside Line F1 Podcast: "He wouldn't be a good team principal if he wouldn't try to get Max. I think every top team would like to have Max.
"And the other story… all the people live in Monte Carlo. If there's not a Grand Prix, it's a quiet place. There are not so many coffee shops, so it's just natural that you run into each other. And of course, Toto makes a story of it.
"On the other hand, Jos Verstappen I think is a bigger fan of Toto than he is of Christian."
'Red Bull need to give Max winning car'
Verstappen holds a 70-point lead over Lando Norris as he chases a fourth successive drivers' title with Red Bull, but the fact the Dutchman has now gone five races without a win has only heightened speculation that he could consider making a switch.
It appears almost certain that Verstappen will remain with Red Bull for the 2025 season, but Horner has admitted performance clauses could play a role in deciding whether the 26-year-old sees out the full duration of a contract that runs until the end of 2028.
While Red Bull's dominance under the current regulations appears to have come to a sudden halt, the introduction of new regulations in 2026 has the potential to significantly shuffle the pecking order.
Asked why he thinks Jos Verstappen is interested in exploring options for his son away from Red Bull, Marko added: "Every contract with a top Formula 1 driver has exit clauses, which are mainly based on performance.
"You have to ask Jos but at the moment, Max is focused on winning the championship, as the team is focused on winning this championship, and you have to look forward.
"In 2026 new rules are coming, so nobody knows at the moment who will have a competitive engine. Of course, what happened in 2014 when all of a sudden, the engine we used was at least 50 horsepower or more behind and was not reliable, so you really don't know what will happen.
"But at the moment everything is clear, Max will drive for Red Bull Racing next season. And we have to give him a car that can win, and then all these rumours will, I think, stop immediately."
Sky Sports F1's live Italian GP schedule
Thursday August 29
2pm: Drivers' Press Conference
Friday August 30
8.30am: F3 Practice
9.55am: F2 Practice
12pm: Italian GP Practice One (session starts 12.30am)
1.55pm: F3 Qualifying
2.50pm: F2 Qualifying
3.45pm: Italian GP Practice Two (session starts 4pm)
5.15pm: The F1 Show
Saturday August 31
8.25am: F3 Sprint
11.15am: Italian GP Practice Three (session starts 11.30am)
1.10pm: F2 Sprint
2.15pm: Italian GP Qualifying build-up
3pm: ITALIAN GP QUALIFYING*
5pm: Ted's Qualifying Notebook
Sunday September 1
7:30am: F3 Feature Race
9am: F2 Feature Race
11am: Porsche Supercup
12:30pm: Grand Prix Sunday: Italian GP build-up
2pm: The ITALIAN GRAND PRIX
4pm: Chequered Flag: Italian GP reaction
5pm: Ted's Notebook
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
The 2024 Formula 1 season continues with the Italian Grand Prix at Monza this weekend, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream every F1 race and more with a NOW Sports Month Membership. No contract, cancel anytime