Max Verstappen has denied that he has decided to leave Red Bull as the reigning Formula 1 champion remained tight-lipped about reports linking him with Mercedes.
Despite being contracted to Red Bull through 2028, Verstappen is poised to take centre stage in the F1 driver market again amid renewed discussions with Mercedes.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has long harboured an interest in the Dutchman, whom he pursued this time 12 months ago as his main target to succeed Lewis Hamilton.
Wolff’s eagerness to obtain an insight into the Verstappen camp’s position has reignited speculation that a possible move to Mercedes in 2026 might be on the cards.
But Verstappen, whose gap to Oscar Piastri rocketed to 63 points with his retirement in Austria, was reluctant to be drawn on whether he is considering his prospects.
“I have nothing else to add compared to what I said last week, to be honest,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.
“Last week we didn’t have a great result. I think it was not a great weekend, but also a bit unlucky in general.
“I don’t say of course that we would be challenging McLaren, but we could have had a decent result.
“And everything that I said that week is still the same. Nothing has changed from my side.”
Verstappen denies Mercedes talks advanced
Verstappen’s deal with Red Bull includes break clauses tied to his position in the Drivers’ Championship that could sanction a premature exit in certain circumstances.
However, the four-time F1 champion shut down a question surrounding how that could be achieved, as he dismissed a report that claimed he is determined to depart.
“I’m not speaking about my contract,” he stated.
“There is no decision at the moment. For me, it’s not about ‘26 or whatever.
“I just focus on what I have ahead of me, work with the team. Of course, a lot of people make up assumptions, but that’s not me.”
But unlike this time 12 months ago when speculation circulated, Verstappen made no guarantee that he would be racing with Red Bull again past the present season.
“Like I said last week, that’s all that I have to say about it,” he responded when asked to provide such an assurance.
Verstappen rules out F1 sabbatical
Regardless, Verstappen denied that he could be enticed to take a sabbatical and return to F1 once he sees how the pecking order has stacked up under the new rules.
Instead, the Hasselt-born driver revealed that he would be open to dovetailing his continued involvement in F1 with his vested interest in racing elsewhere in GT3 cars.
“No, no no. F1 for sure. And I’ll try to, of course, in the future combine it with any kind of other racing that is possible,” he divulged.
“But I can’t prepare for it. Because I do want to, of course, explore a bit out of Formula 1. Which, of course, I’m already doing with testing, but eventually also racing.”
READ MORE – McLaren CEO: Max Verstappen ‘carrying’ Red Bull as Mercedes rumours deepen
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