Is Verstappen closing the door on Mercedes? 'Toto knows that too'

The rumour mill is in full swing as 'Silly Season' continues: Will Max Verstappen stay at Red Bull Racing after 2024? Is he tired of all the hassle surrounding the team, especially now that Adrian Newey will leave? Where would Verstappen go then? Mercedes perhaps? It's a fact that Mercedes would love Max Verstappen for '25. Rumour has it that Toto Wolff and his camp reportedly would pay Verstappen €150m yearly.

Under the Miami sun, Verstappen was asked if a mega-bid of €150 million is indeed on the table: "Well, my future is within Red Bull at the moment.

"At the end of the day, even if, let's say, that would be the case, €150 million, money is not going to be the differentiator for me to go somewhere. I'm happy with what I'm earning already. It's about performance. I know that if I would be driving for P5 or P6, and you get quite grumpy with yourself. It's always about performance at the end of the day. Everyone knows that. Toto also knows that.

Verstappen wants to stay at Red Bull

Wolff has indicated on several occasions that he is prepared to wait for Verstappen. The Dutchman certainly doesn't find Wolff's optimism strange: "I think everyone should always be optimistic and hopeful in things. But at the moment, I can say that I want to stay with the team because I believe in the project that we have with everyone involved. But at the end of the day, in sports but also in life, you don't know what's going to happen in the future."

On paper, Red Bull - even without Newey - holds the chances for '25. In 2026, there will be new regulations and everyone will start from zero. Verstappen, however, is not thinking too much about what could happen shortly: "Not at the moment, no. I mean, this is something that I'm not really thinking about too much at the moment. There's so much going on this year with the performance that I want to do well. Next year as well, where I think we still have a great chance of doing well. So, 26 in that sense is quite far away." Said the three-time world champion.