Max Verstappen has rejected Fernando Alonso’s certainty that he will remain at Red Bull beyond the end of the 2024 season. Alonso, who has been associated with a seat at Red Bull, warned that his future could only improve if Verstappen leaves the team, which he said would happen.
Dutch driver Verstappen has been the dominant force on the grid for much of the past three years. He is the clear favourite to win a fourth consecutive World Drivers’ Championship this year.
However, turbulence at Red Bull has put the 26-year-old’s future in doubt. Now, Verstappen has even hinted that he might take a sabbatical from Formula 1.
It comes after Alonso, who is linked to Red Bull, said: “If Max leaves Red Bull, it would possibly have an effect on me, but I think there’s no chance of that happening. “
Verstappen was briefed on Alonso’s comments and insisted he was satisfied with his current team, and seemed to suggest he still had a decision to make about his short-term career in the sport.
He replied, “No, it all depends on whether next year I will also have to drive or not.
“But for my part, no, I’m very satisfied with where I am. And we’re going to keep it that way. “
Regulatory changes in 2026 are very likely to have a major impact on drivers deciding their future. From 2026, Red Bull will build its own powertrains in partnership with Ford, and the existing contract with Honda will expire.
Verstappen, who has already hinted that his contract at Red Bull is ending, stresses that he has an agreement with the Milton Keynes team until 2028.
He continued, “I don’t know. It doesn’t necessarily mean “26” or whatever, right?
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“I have a contract with Red Bull until the year 28. After that, I first have to see if I need to continue. For me, this is the most important thing. It’s not so much a question of knowing where. So that kind of stuff that I’m not thinking about right now.
Verstappen threatened to leave Red Bull in March if he sacked veteran technical adviser Helmut Marko. Reports at the time reported that Marko could be investigated, but the investigation has since been abandoned following negotiations.
The Red Bull star driver also expressed concern about the increasing number of events on the racing calendar. He said he would not stay in the sport for long if the FIA continued to add more sprint races to the calendar.
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