Max Verstappen has expressed that he won’t make a decision on his prospects in Formula 1 “based on emotion” amid rumours linking him with a switch to Mercedes.
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but question marks have arisen over his commitment since the power struggle that ensued at the team in pre-season
The tension derived from an internal probe into Christian Horner’s behaviour, which has seen the Red Bull boss and Max’s father, Jos, end up involved in a public spat.
Mercedes has been angling to be well-positioned should Verstappen become available and an upturn in competitiveness has made the squad an enticing proposition.
The German marque’s turnaround – which has comprised three wins in the last four races – has coincided with Red Bull enduring a dip in results as the field converges.
But Verstappen, who’s been aligned with Red Bull since 2014, has reiterated his stance on the importance of not making a hurried choice that he could come to regret.
“I’m a patient person myself, I don’t worry too much about things,” Verstappen told formula.hu when asked about his future.
“Of course, it means a lot and I appreciate that my relationship with the team goes back a long way. Loyalty is very important and I don’t think it’s always there in F1.”
“It is, but fortunately in my case it is a given and I think it is mutual for us.
“The key people stay with the team and now we have our own engine project. How is it going? I have a lot of faith in him, but we have to be realistic.”
“We have to fight against people who have been making engines for over a hundred years. They have a lot of experience, but of course, we have also signed a lot of people.”
Verstappen has been open that he doesn’t anticipate being in the sport long-term, but he should be around to experience F1’s next regulation change arriving in 2026.
There have been several drivers and team bosses who have voiced concern over how realistic the FIA’s targets are when it comes to creating lighter and slower cars.
However, the Dutchman is against drawing a premature conclusion on F1’s next era based on an initial proposal that is poised to be tweaked over the coming months.
“I am the same with this as with the new rules, I prefer to be in the middle,” the reigning F1 champion added. “I don’t want to be too positive or too negative.”
“I stay in the middle. You have to be patient.
“A lot of things have to stay together or come together, and I also have to consider what will happen after 2026 for the future. That’s why I’m patient.”
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