MAX VERSTAPPEN has broken his silence on rumours linking him with a move to Mercedes.
And while he emphatically denied that he would leave Red Bull this season, he stopped short of completely ruling out a move.
It comes after it was announced that Verstappen’s rival Lewis Hamilton would be joining Ferrari in a £100million deal back in February.
That’s left a gap at Mercedes, and Verstappen’s alleged tensions with Red Bull chief Christian Horner has led to speculation that he would make a shock switch.
Sources in Austria claim Mercedes head honcho Toto Wolff is prepared to make a £128m-a-year offer to have three-time world champion Verstappen replace Hamilton.
Verstappen has now said that won’t happen for the time being, and even took a cheeky swipe at Mercedes during his interview ahead of the Miami Grand Prix.
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Verstappen said: “My future is within Red Bull at the moment. Even if there was an offer of £150m, money is not going to be the differentiator for me to go somewhere.
“I am happy with what I earn already.
“If I knew I was driving for fifth or sixth, I’d get quite grumpy. Everyone knows it is about performance — and Toto (Wolff, the Mercedes team principal) knows that.
“I believe in the project and everybody involved but in sport and in life you don’t know about the future.”
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As long as Red Bull’s car remains competitive, there is no obvious rush for Verstappen to jump ship.
He is under contract with the energy drink giant until 2028, so would struggle to move without a hefty compensation package.
The team were rocked by scandal last season affecting principal Christian Horner, although he was cleared of wrongdoing by an internal investigation.
Tensions between Verstappen’s father Jos and Horner remain, although the car still appears to be a winning machine on the track.
The departure of the car’s designer, Adrian Newey, could affect that performance next season.
Hamilton offered a cheeky plea to Newey suggesting he should join him at Ferrari, which Newey repaid by saying he was “flattered” by the interest.
Source: Motorsport - thesun.co.uk
