Max Verstappen has been linked with moves away from Red Bull amid the team’s ongoing struggles.
Max Verstappen has been linked with moves away from Red Bull (Image: Getty)
Max Verstappen has reiterated his commitment to Red Bull, insisting that he plans to see out his F1 career with his current employers. The three-time world champion has been linked with moves to Mercedes and Aston Martin.
The Dutchman is contracted with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 campaign and has often stated his desire to see out his career with the team that thrust him into F1 as a 17-year-old with Toro Rosso, and helped him to all of his race wins and World Championships to date.
However, the strained internal politics at Red Bull, combined with the team’s downturn in on-track performance in 2024, have sparked rumours of discontent. Aiding speculation is a contract clause that would allow Verstappen to leave the team in 2026, should he desire to.
There are interested parties as well. Toto Wolff has been intensely courting the three-time world champion, and Lawrence Stroll is reportedly keen to lure the Dutchman to Aston Martin. Given the latter’s upcoming relationship with Honda – the engine provider underpinning his success to date – they could be an attractive proposition.
However, Verstappen remains committed to Red Bull. “No, for me the situation has never changed since I signed my contract,” he told ATP at the Mexican Grand Prix. “That’s clearly the intention (staying until 2028). I’ve signed a long-term contract with the team and, in a perfect world, I’ll finish there.”
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Toto Wolff and Mercedes have been keen on signing Verstappen (Image: Getty)
While Mercedes haven’t given up hope of luring Verstappen to Brackley, team principal Wolff has backed down from his public pursuits of the 27-year-old. With Kimi Antonelli and George Russell both in contract years in 2025, time will tell whether the Austrian needs to upgrade his line-up, or whether the Silver Arrows’ two academy graduates can lead them forward.
“We’re sitting back,” Wolff told Autosport. “I think I’ve expressed it before, and we have a similar view also from Max’s side: you’ve got to put faith in your drivers or in your team.
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“You need to give it the maximum support you can to make it a success. And only if things go really wrong, you will consider other opportunities. For me, it’s like flirting outside whilst you’re making your relationship work.
“It doesn’t work, I’m not flirting outside. Only if I want to have a change, or consider a change, I would seek a conversation. And it is the same on his side. We’re pretty aligned in our values on that I think.”