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Max Verstappen says he has no intentions of leaving Red Bull soon, amid rumours that he could be in line for a seat at Mercedes in the future.
Verstappen joined the energy drink squad after the start of the 2016 season after spending a year at Toro Rosso.
In his four years with the front-running team, Verstappen has bagged eight race wins, three of which came during the 2019 campaign.
However, he was unable to mount a title challenge as Lewis Hamilton cruised to a sixth world championship, putting himself one title behind the all-time championships scored by Michael Schumacher.
With Mercedes continuing to dominate the turbo-hybrid era, Verstappen says that he feels at home at Red Bull and that he is not interested in leaving.
“I’m really happy where I am at the moment, and I really want to win with Red Bull," he told Autocar. "They brought me into Formula 1, so there was this kind of loyalty to them. I think we’re over that phase, but still I’m really happy where I am.
"I really enjoy working with them; it’s a great group of people. I feel at home, which is also really important for a driver, that you feel appreciated. Everybody is really motivated so, for me, I don’t want to change.”
Verstappen added that he is "definitely happy" with what he achieved in 2019, despite mot being in a position to challenge for a world championship.
"I want to win championships, so in that respect, probably no," Verstappen said when asked if he had achieved what he wanted in 2019. "But you also have to look at the circumstances, and I think it has been a good, exciting season.
"Especially at the beginning, when we had a really good run, with consistent results – top fives for a long time, some nice victories, some nice podiums.
"So I’m definitely happy. Every year so far, I can say to myself that I improved and became better. I always want to set the bar high, so I always want to improve; even a victory can be done in a better way."
Grand Prix of Belgium
C. Sainz jr
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Replies (4)
Login to replycalle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Nah, pretty sure he is eyeing other seats, it's just that the seats ain't available, and he is probably wellocked under that contract what Marko so kindly helped him write. Sure, he might have some exit clause, but RB will likely have made sure to make it hard for him to leave.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Oh, and btw: there is new goss regarding Lawrence intending to buy Aston Martin. Might see a rebranding of RP... again.. if the deal goes through?
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
Wonder how it may affect RB and Merc.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
Red Bull would lose a sponsor, but that'd also provide more adspace for Honda, so they'll likely be fine. At any rate they are probably one of the most marketing-friendly team, they will find a replacement. Merc' will probably be fine with it too. They and AM had a technical partnership (which ended as of 2018), but nothing really more than that. But even so, they seem to be on good terms, so they'll likely not mind powering a car manufacturer-named team. Also, a namechange might get the real AM involved in F1 a tad more, which is a win for everyone, not least RP, which is a team what really deserves that kinda treatment IMO.