Max Verstappen breaks silence on his future after Adrian Newey's departure

Max Verstappen has opened up for the first time on his future at Red Bull after legendary car designer Adrian Newey announced he was leaving the team at the end of the season.

Verstappen has been on the fence about his contract with Red Bull that runs till2028,ever since allegations of improper conduct surfaced against team principal Christian Horner.

“At the end of the day,it’snot about money for me.I’malreadyvery happyofcoursewith whatI’mhaving at the team,"said Verstappen on the sidelines of the Miami Grand Prix when quizzed about his Red Bull plans.

Verstappenadmitted that he did not want Newey to leave but played downthe impact that his departure hadon theteam'sperformance.

“Adrianfromwhen he started at RedBullwasincredibly importantfor the success that they had, over time his role has changed a bitanda lot of peopledon’tunderstand what he wasactuallydoing,”he said.

“I’mnot saying he was not doing anythingbuthis role has evolved.A lot ofgood people came into theteamwhich hasstrengthened that whole department.wouldhave preferred him to stay for sure.Ireallytrustthe technical team we haveisvery strongandthey have shown that in the last few years with how competitive the car is,"he added.

The three-time world champion further played down the impactsayingNewey'sdeparture may have looked"dramatic"from the outsidebutwhat was happening inside the team was"not as dramatic as it seems".

Helmut Marko to depart as well?

While Verstappen looks to stay put at the moment, the departure ofRed Bull Motorsport director Helmut Marko could accelerate the talks as the F1 driver has stated on multiple occasions that if Marko leaves the team, he might consider a switch.

Meanwhile, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has openly said he would love to sign Verstappenif he decides to leave Red Bull.Current Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton will be moving to Ferrari in the 2025-25 seasonwhichhas ledto Wolff looking for replacements.

(With inputs from agencies)