Red Bull team advisor expects Max Verstappen to stay amid rumors of Mercedes switch

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko is expecting Max Verstappen to still be a Red Bull driver next season, amid rumors of a switch to Mercedes. “I can confirm that,” the four-time world champion’s advisor said to RTL in Germany.

Marko confirmed a report by De Telegraaf, which also stated on Monday that a swift departure of Verstappen from Red Bull is no longer an option. He is currently under contract with Red Bull until 2028.

Verstappen is not pleased about his current position in the season rankings behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris of McLaren. He is annoyed about the fact that his competitors are driving a faster car than he is.

When asked, Verstappen responded sarcastically to the question of whether a move to Mercedes is possible. “It’s also possible that I won’t wake up tomorrow, and then there won’t be a driver at all. Life is unpredictable, but I’m still really enjoying myself at Red Bull,” he said at a press conference ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Red Bull’s new team principal, Laurent Mekies, said last week that Verstappen is very important to Red Bull. “He is the key person in our project. We need his magic on the track,” said the successor to Christian Horner.

Photos of Verstappen and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff together in Sardinia were circulating on the internet recently, which only helped fuel the rumors regarding his potential departure. “I was there on vacation with friends and family. It was purely by chance that Toto happened to be on the same island; that can happen,” Verstappen responded.

Verstappen is currently far behind Piastri and Norris in the season rankings. The Red Bull driver has 185 points this season, with Piastri leading the race with 266 points and Norris shortly behind with 250 points.