“I intend to stay here until the end because it would be a great story. I’m happy in the team,” said the 26-year-old on Thursday in the Melbourne paddock ahead of the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday (5 a.m./ live Hello TV and Sky). Verstappen still has a contract with Red Bull until 2028.
According to the media, a power struggle is raging at Red Bull. On the one hand, there are the Thai majority owners, who continue to support team boss Horner after a scandal. On the other hand, in addition to advisor Helmut Marko and managing director Oliver Mintzlaff, there is also the team around Verstappen. On the sidelines of the race in Jeddah two weeks ago there was talk of Marko being temporarily suspended because he was suspected of being the source of the data leak. But this never came about. If Marko, whose contract expires in 2026, still has to leave Red Bull early, Verstappen could also get out of his contract earlier thanks to a contract clause.
