Max Verstappen dismisses Red Bull exit fears

JEDDAH – Max Verstappen has brushed aside fears of a possible Red Bull exit, saying on April 17 that he is “just focusing on driving”.

The notion of the four-time world champion walking away was raised by the team’s adviser Helmut Marko, who told Sky Germany that he had “great concern” Verstappen could find another team unless Red Bull upped their game.

He was speaking in the aftermath of last weekend’s disappointment in Bahrain where Verstappen could finish only sixth, three places ahead of his new teammate Yuki Tsunoda, behind a dominant show by McLaren’s Oscar Piastri.

Asked specifically to comment on Marko’s fears ahead of this weekend’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Verstappen replied: “I’m just focusing on driving and don’t think about any other scenarios.

“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. That’s how I go about my weeks, trying to improve the situation.”

The Dutchman has previously been linked with the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and Aston Martin, where Red Bull’s former legendary designer Adrian Newey has joined forces with Fernando Alonso.

But Verstappen was not rising to the bait, adding: “A lot of people are talking about it, except me.

“Like I said before, I just want to focus on my car, work with the people in the team. That’s the only thing that I’m thinking about in Formula One at the moment.

“I am happy. I am not very happy with my car, but we all want to be better – there is no secret in that. We all want to improve... I’m very relaxed.”