Max Verstappen addresses speculation over Red Bull future with “pretty fixed” comment

Max Verstappen says he is “pretty fixed” at Red Bull as speculation continues to mount over his F1 future at Red Bull.

The three-time world champion signed a long-term contract extension three years ago that ties him down to Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season - when he will be 31 years old.

But recent reports have emerged claiming that a break clause was recently added to his deal - without the knowledge of the F1 team - that would enable him to leave if Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko departed.

Marko’s position appeared under threat at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix when he revealed he was facing an internal investigation amid the controversy surrounding team principal Christian Horner.

But following a strong show of support from Verstappen, who effectively threatened to quit Red Bull if Marko left, the 80-year-old Austrian confirmed he would be staying on in his role.

The turmoil at Red Bull has fuelled rampant speculation that Verstappen could make a shock switch to Mercedes as a replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, with Toto Wolff admitting the team would “love” to sign the Dutchman.

But speaking ahead of this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix, Verstappen poured cold water on suggestions he could leave Red Bull.

“I think there’s every reason to be happy,” he told F1.com in Melbourne. “The car is going really well. There’s so many great people in the team that are constantly pushing for better results.

“That’s what I focus on. I focus on the performance, I’m happy, and when I go home I don’t think about any other thing because it’s pretty fixed where I am. And that’s also where I want to be.”

Away from the off-track drama, Verstappen arrives in Melbourne looking to continue his perfect start to his F1 title defence, having claimed back-to-back victories in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

"It’s definitely been the best start so far to a year for me, personally,” he added.

“In the car [there’s] just a good balance. But I think also as a team, we operated really well without too many mistakes. So I’m of course very happy with that. and I hope that we can continue that way. We tried to keep on learning what we can do better, but it’s been very positive.”