Max Verstappen has been warned it would be “foolish” to leave Red Bull, amid claims that current disputes within the team could see him move to Mercedes or Ferrari.
Verstappen and Red Bull are in the midst of one of the most dominant periods in F1 history, with the 26-year-old heading for his third consecutive world championship from 2021.
Max Verstappen warns to leave Red Bull
The Dutchman has won 46 of his last 68 races dating back to the start of his first title-winning season, and Verstappen has started 2024 with back-to-back wins from pole position in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
With another win at this weekend's Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne, Verstappen will equal his own record of 10 consecutive wins, just six months after surpassing Sebastian Vettel's record of nine in 2013.
His current contract runs until 2028, but Verstappen's Red Bull future is in jeopardy given the recent scandal involving team principal Christian Horner.
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Verstappen's father Jos accused the long-time team boss of “playing the victim when he's the one causing the problem” after an investigation into Horner's actions was dismissed, and after the Bahrain Grand Prix, Horner said: demanded his resignation.
Amid fears that Verstappen will leave Red Bull in a week's time to join Mercedes in Saudi Arabia to replace Lewis Hamilton at Ferrari, Horner insisted: “There is no greater team than the team.”
Former Ferrari driver Giancarlo Fisichella, who won three grands prix in 229 F1 starts between 1996 and 2009, believes it would be foolish for Verstappen to walk away from the car that won him Red Bull.
He told OCB Scores:
“No one expected Lewis Hamilton to move from Mercedes and especially to complete his contract with Ferrari. No one expected that.
“But I don't know if Max will join Mercedes next year or in the future. It would be foolish for him to move to another team where he is now with the best team and the best car.
“The pay is good at Red Bull and it could be the same or even more at Mercedes, so who knows.”
“But you have a winning car and you're currently on top of the world, so why move to another team?”
Verstappen insisted to Saudi media last weekend that there was “no reason” to leave Red Bull anytime soon, but teased that Hamilton's surprise move to Ferrari proves anything can happen.
He said: “Actually, no one would have imagined that Lewis would go to Ferrari.
“In my life, it has nothing to do with F1 or anything, just life in general, but what happens, what happens to me, what happens around me, what affects me. You never know what to give.
“So I can never say 100 percent that it will happen and that's how I approach my life.
“But I don't think too much about it. I'm very relaxed, I'm very happy with the team and we're performing well, so there's no reason to move on.”
Asked if he intended to continue his contract with Red Bull to the end, Verstappen stressed that performance would be the deciding factor.
He said: “Of course, that was always the intent of the contract. That's why we signed for so long to come here.
“And of course it's about the performance of the car.
“And of course there is a bit of a question mark with the new regulations applying from 2026 onwards, but we knew that when we signed the contract.
“But I also know what they've done for me in my career. So, of course, I'm definitely going to stay with this team, because I really enjoy this team. And I'm really happy within the team.”
“And as long as we're performing, there's no reason to leave.”
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