Verstappen: “For now, my future is with Red Bull”
During the press conference, the triple world champion reacted to Adrian Newey's departure but also to questions about his future. Max Verstappen does not consider leaving Red Bull at the moment.
Nothing can stop the Dutch driver, who has a contract until 2028. However, Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been called into question following power struggles within the team that had been brewing for some time and finally erupted this year.
Max Verstappen had previously stated that the key to his future at Red Bull was that all the team’s key pillars remain in place, but now one of its most crucial members is leaving the Austrian team, with the famous designer, Adrian Newey, announcing his departure from the F1 team.
This raised new questions about Verstappen’s plans, who downplayed the importance of Newey’s departure by saying that his departure is not as dramatic as it may seem to the outside world.
But in the midst of wild suggestions of an offer of 150 million euros per year, made by Mercedes to secure the services of the Dutchman, Max Verstappen said that performance would be a much more important factor for his future than finances.
He responded at a press conference in Miami. « No. But in the end, even if, let’s say that were the case, 150 million euros… money will not be the differentiator for me to go somewhere. I am already happy with what I earn, it’s about performance. »
Verstappen not worried about changes at Red Bull.
Max Verstappen is the undisputed favorite to win a fourth consecutive title in 2024 and if he were to leave Red Bull to go to Mercedes, which has struggled with performance this season, he would probably risk missing out on a potential title in 2025.
« I know that if I drive for P5 or P6, I become quite grumpy with myself, he explained. « So at the end of the day, it’s always a matter of performance. I mean, everyone knows it, Toto [Wolff] knows it too. »
« My future is currently with Red Bull,” Verstappen says. When asked if he found it strange that Toto Wolff continues to publicly court him as a potential replacement for Lewis Hamilton, he replied: « No, because I think everyone should always be optimistic and hopeful about things. But for now, I can say that I want to stay with the team because I believe in this project, that we have with all the stakeholders involved. »
« After, in sports as in life, we do not know what will happen in the future. » A statement that nonetheless leaves the door open to speculation.
