Max Verstappen says he sees no explanation as to why he is leaving the Red Bull team after recent rumors he could move to Mercedes.
The three-time F1 world champion has been at the centre of recent rumours about his future, with Mercedes boss Toto Wolff making it clear that the Dutch driver is a target to upgrade Lewis Hamilton, who is set to leave for 2025.
The option of a surprise breakup between Verstappen and Red Bull emerged at the start of the season, after Red Bull GmbH’s investigation into F1 team boss Christian Horner concluded.
With the investigation closed, Verstappen has made it clear that his long career at Red Bull depends on the continued involvement of his longtime adviser, Helmut Marko.
While Marko warned that he could be suspended via Red Bull while internal investigations into the source of the leaks continued, Verstappen showed his loyalty to the Austrian, opening the door for other groups to investigate him and benefit from a potential weakening of Red Bull relations. Bull. and its star driver.
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With Hamilton joining Ferrari on a multi-year deal from next season, Wolff was quick to make it clear that he would like to have Verstappen in his position; however, the Dutch driver’s most recent comments recommend that he and Red Bull are now in agreement. I collapsed even further as the fury subsided.
Speaking to the media ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix, Verstappen asked about his future and his doubts about whether he would stay with Red Bull until the end of his current contract at the end of 2028.
“After 2021 I signed a contract with the team,” he said.
“The only thing I’ve said from the beginning is that we need to have a calm, non-violent environment.
“I think in the last few years we’ve been talking about the car, so I’m already satisfied with that. We’re talking about the functionality of the car. That’s the way it is, too. “
“As long as I’m satisfied with the team, there’s never going to be an explanation as to why I’m leaving. “
In the week leading up to the Chinese Grand Prix, Aston Martin showed that it has secured two-time world champion Fernando Alonso a new contract that will see him race until at least the end of 2026.
Alonso will be forty-five years old at the end of his new contract and, as Verstappen indicated before being in F1 for a while, not for long, the 26-year-old doubts that his own F1 career will have the same longevity as the Spaniard’s.
“Fernando took some time off and then discovered his love again for being competitive in Formula 1,” he said.
“It’s very difficult to comment on this kind of thing. I don’t think I’ll be here until I’m 45, but you never know.
Asked if he was surprised that Alonso had taken up the pen with Aston Martin at the start of the season, i. e. with the driver market open while seats are yet to be confirmed with Red Bull and Mercedes, Verstappen said it was clear that Alonso convinced via Silverstone. team based. Move forward.
“No, I’m not surprised, I don’t have all the information yet,” he said.
“They also have good relationships with each other and you don’t know what they’re talking about or who the customers are, so it’s very difficult for me to comment on that.
“They are clearly very ambitious, they want to win in F1. He believes in the project, so it makes sense to sign.
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