2 weeks Ago
Multiple reports had claimed that Max Verstappen could be leaving Red Bull at the end of this season. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has said that he does not ‘flirt’ outside if he is happy in the relationship, reiterating that he has not and will not approach Max Verstappen for a potential move to his team from Red Bull at the end of the 2025 season, even as rumours circulate. After his P6 finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix, rumours of Verstappen leaving Red Bull once again began circulating ahead of the Saudi Arabian GP, as he was off the pace.
Verstappen put an end to rumours and focused on his job on the track. His five-second penalty for gaining an advantage when going off the track was the only negative in his run in Jeddah. “No, I wouldn’t say that.
I always say, I don’t flirt outside if I’m happy in the relationship and in a professional way. I get a hard time from Susie. There’s no question about that," Wolff said while speaking to Sky Sports F1.
“I’m super happy with the lineup we have. I couldn’t wish for anything better and Max is at Red Bull, we haven’t had a conversation, we’re continuing our trajectory," Wolff added. The Mercedes team principal had left the door open for Verstappen in 2024 for a potential seat in his team.
Verstappen and Red Bull left Jeddah with mixed emotions. Whilst relieved to have had the pace to win they were upset at his five-second penalty. “Arguably, without that penalty, we would have won today.
We believed Max was ahead on the first lap, and it was a very harsh decision, but at that point, it was best to concede, serve the penalty, get your head down and keep going," Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said on Sunday, April 20. Verstappen refused to be drawn on the incident despite repeated chances to do so in the aftermath of the race. “The problem is that I cannot share my opinion about it because I might get penalised also, so it’s better not to speak about it," Verstappen said.
The world champion will next be seen in action at the Miami GP on Monday, May 5, where he finished 7.61 seconds behind Lando Norris last year..
