Max Verstappen dismisses concerns over possible Red Bull exit after turbulent start to season
Max Verstappen has dismissed concerns that he might consider leaving Red Bull, after last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix proved to be a turbulent day for the team. The four-time F1 world champion, who has admitted to being unsatisfied with this season’s car, finished sixth in Bahrain and failed to offer much threat to those ahead of him. After the race, amid rumors of tensions inside the Red Bull paddock, the team’s motorsport advisor Helmut Marko told Sky Sports that he was “worried a lot” that Verstappen might consider leaving, with the car currently unable to consistently compete with its rivals. When asked about these concerns ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, the Dutch driver said his full focus was on improving the car. “I don’t know, to be honest,” he told reporters when asked why he thought Marko made his comments. “I just keep working, keep trying to improve the car. “Naturally, Bahrain wasn’t a great weekend for us. I think we were all pretty disappointed with that. “We just keep on trying to improve the car, come up with new ideas to try on the car. The competition is tough. That’s how I go about my weeks, just trying to improve the situation.” When pressed on the issue by a Sky Sports commentator at the press conference, Verstappen issued an icy reply. “Just focus on commentating, I’ll focus on driving, and then we don’t need to think about any other scenarios,” he said, with a smile.
Ongoing rumors
Despite his Red Bull contract running until 2028, Verstappen has been linked with rumored moves to both Mercedes and Aston Martin over the last year, as he looks to win a fifth consecutive world title. Red Bull, though, has seen a major drop in its performances compared to last season and the problems seem to go beyond the track. 
Max Verstappen is second in the drivers’ championship standings through two races of the 2025 F1 season. Toshifumi Kitamura/AFP/Getty Images Related article Max Verstappen says it ‘was not a mistake’ that he liked Instagram post criticizing Liam Lawson-Yuki Tsunoda swap Earlier this month, for example, Verstappen said that it “was not a mistake” that he liked an Instagram post criticizing Red Bull’s decision to swap Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda just two races into the new Formula One season – yet another sign that all is not well inside the camp. “A lot of people are talking about it except me,” Verstappen said of the rumors. “Like I said before, I just want to focus on my car, work with the people in the team – that’s the only thing I’m thinking about in Formula 1 at the moment. I’m very relaxed.” While struggling again in Bahrain, Verstappen has ascended the podium twice this season – finishing second in Australia and then winning in Japan. But the team will be hoping to see more improvement this weekend, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri both ahead of Verstappen in the driver’s standings.
Source: edition.cnn.com