24/04/2025
NEWS STORY
Red Bull GmbH managing director, Oliver Mintzlaff is confident that Max Verstappen will remain with the F1 team.
The media has been speculating over the Dutchman's future for some time now, not just because the team has been surpassed by the likes of McLaren and Ferrari but the after effects of the Horner saga, which many believe are intertwined.
With George Russell's contract up for renewal, and no sign of an 'announce', Verstappen has been linked with Mercedes, but then there's Aston Martin, whose 2026 car will be penned by the man who provided the Dutchman's title winning machines, not forgetting Ferrari, where there might yet be a vacancy.
However, Mintzlaff is confident that Verstappen will remain.
"We are all dissatisfied with the current situation," he told Bild at the weekend. "Nobody wants to gloss over that.
"I'm convinced that he will continue to take the long road he has taken with Red Bull so far," he added, when asked if he feels the Dutchman will leave. "Max will race for us in 2026.
"On the one hand, he has signed until the end of 2028 for a reason," he continued, "and on the other hand, he has recently positioned himself clearly. Max once told me that he started his career at Red Bull, and would like to end it there. As far as I know, nothing has changed in this regard.
"We benefited a lot from Max, the best driver in the world," he admitted. "But the truth is that he owes a lot to Red Bull.
"Of course, we're going through a difficult phase at the moment, but I don't have the feeling that Max doubts that. As long as the attitude is lived that we want to build the best car in the world, he will pull together with us.
"This is the only way we can be successful again. And we will."