MAX Verstappen publicly reiterated his long-term commitment to the Red Bull team, Thursday (18/4), saying as long as he was happy, “There is no reason to leave.”
Previously, there was speculation that the three-time world champion could move to Mercedes to replace Lewis Hamilton, who will leave for Ferrari next year after Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was accused of inappropriate behavior towards a female employee.
Horner was cleared of any wrongdoing ahead of the season opener in Bahrain but the off-track scandal continued for weeks.
Dutch racer Verstappen signed a contract with Red Bull until 2028. However, at the start of this season, he stated he would consider leaving if the team parted ways with his old mentor Helmut Marko.
Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed Red Bull would be ‘torn apart’ if Horner remained in his position.
However, the conversation in the paddock in Shanghai this week turned back to racing, something that made Verstappen happy.
Also read: Max Verstappen Wins Japanese GP
“After 2021, I signed a long contract with the team. The only thing I said from the start was that I wanted to have a calm and peaceful environment,” said Verstappen in a press conference, as broadcast by AFP, Thursday (18/4).
“Lately, we’ve been talking about cars, so I’m really happy about that.”
“That’s the way it should be. Of course, as long as I’m happy with the team, there’s never a reason to leave,” stressed the 26-year-old racer.
Also read: Max Verstappen wins pole at F1 Japanese GP for Red Bull
Verstappen is chasing a fourth win in five Formula 1 races in 2024 but admits this weekend’s Chinese GP will be difficult to predict.
Formula 1 returns to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time in five years, with the sprint race taking place on Saturday (20/4).
“With new cars of course there are a few unknowns,” said Verstappen. “Of course it’s the same for everyone.”
Also read: Max Verstappen is fastest in final free practice for the Japanese GP
There is only one practice session on Friday (19/4) before sprint qualifying, so Verstappen said it was important for the team to complete the set-up early.
“We have to have a good FP1 so we don’t have to do too much fine-tuning on the car. That will really help,” said Verstappen.
“Time will tell, I’m not too worried about it,” he concluded. (Ant/Z-1)
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