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Max Verstappen has insisted that he will not be leaving Red Bull before his contract expires. The Dutchman joined the team just over a year ago and has since taken his first career victory along with a handful of podiums.
With Kimi Raikkonen's place at Ferrari under scrutiny for next season, Verstappen's name has been suggested as a potential replacement. Red Bull team owner Dietrich Mateschitz and head of driver development Helmut Marko have denied such rumours.
Verstappen himself has now come out speaking against the rumours: "The team is really nice and I have a good feeling with them," he told South Africa's Sport24. "But I also want to win at one point. For the moment, I have a contract. They also gave me the opportunity to get into Formula 1, so there's also a bit of a loyal side to it."
"When the contract expires, we will see what happens next. You can say a lot when you have signed a contract but you can't do much. It's not my focus at the moment. It's still a bit early for that."
Verstappen said that being at the right team at the right time is luck as you can never predict who will enter the season strongest. With many tipping the 19-year-old to become F1's youngest ever champion, he says that is not his goal.
"You need luck to be at the right team at the right moment, and it's a bit of a gamble. I'm still very young. I do not have the goal of becoming the youngest world champion. Sure it would be a nice bonus, but for me, it is more important to get the most out of my career. If I give my best and I've had a good career but in the end, it's not enough for the title, that's ok," he concluded.
Fergal Walsh
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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