F1 fans expresaed relief after Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff announced that he would not pursue Red Bull driver Max Verstappen any longer and shifted his focus onto his drivers. The Dutch driver and the Austrian team boss have been linked for the 2026 season.The 52-year-old has been keen on working with the reigning four-time F1 world champion for quite some time and has made several approaches since the start of the 2024 season. However, after months of speculation, a potential move to the German team seems unlikely for Verstappen owing to his contract situation with Red Bull.Speaking with ORF, Toto Wolff claimed that focusing on his current drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, was his top priority, saying:"It's not just about the team making a decision. The drivers also need to know where they stand. We've always tried to adhere to this rule. And we'll do so again this time. The direction is that we want to continue with George and Kimi. That's our top priority. Everyone is up to date."F1 fans took to social media to give their reactions to Toto Wolff's comments on X, with one fan claiming:"I hope this finally stops the f***ing Max to Mercedes rumours. I'm so sick of seeing on my feed,""We’re all waiting for that big surprise, aren’t we,""I bet Toto is using the Max as a bargaining chip in George's contract renewal," said a fan.Here are some more reactions:"I thought they’ll let this rumour continue for Netflix purposes at least!" wrote a fan."Translation: We’re not getting Max, so imma stick with the mfs I got," pointed out a fan."Thank you - Max can sit in his Red Bull Ford Fiesta next season 🤣🤣 " wrote another.Max Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season and was rumored to continue with the Austrian team following Christian Horner's exit.Max Verstappen comments on working with new team principalRed Bull driver Max Verstappen stated that he was looking forward to working with Laurent Mekies, who replaced Christian Horner as the team principal and CEO of Red Bull following the Brit's exit.As per F1.com, the 27-year-old commented on the situation and said:“I was back at the factory last week to spend some time in the sim with the team. I’m looking forward to working closely with Laurent."Max Verstappen has raced with the Milton-Keynes-based outfit since the middle of the 2016 season and achieved metronomic success under Christian Horner. Horner offered his unwavering support to the Dutch driver in front of the media and always stood up in his corner despite the latter's mistakes on the track.