THREE-TIME WORLD CHAMPION Max Verstappen said Thursday he intends to see out his contract with Red Bull, insisting he was happy despite weeks of off-track turbulence.

The Dutchman is signed until 2028 but suggested at the last race in Saudi Arabia he would consider leaving if Red Bull parted company with long-time mentor Helmut Marko in a power struggle threatening to envelop the team.

It followed his father Jos claiming earlier this month that Red Bull faced being “torn apart” if team boss Christian Horner remained in his position.

Horner was accused of inappropriate conduct involving a woman colleague but he was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing ahead of the season-opener in Bahrain.

Asked at the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne if he would honour his contract, Verstappen replied: “Of course, that is why I signed the contract in the first place.

“For sure, with the deal in place, that is my intention, to be here until the end.

“It would be a great story for me to see it out till the end because it would mean I’ve been part of one family and one team.

“I always felt comfortable (in Red Bull) because for me it is like a second family, it’s good.”

The 26-year-old’s career has been overseen by Marko, 80, and Verstappen reiterated that it was important to keep in place a team that has enjoyed so much success.

“I feel we all want the same, we all want to perform on the track, that’s what we want to focus on as a team,” he said.

“In general, when you have a successful team, when you have a good group of central people, it is important to keep them together and happy and in the same roles.”

His veiled threat to leave Red Bull piqued the interest of Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, who needs a replacement next season when Lewis Hamilton departs for Ferrari.

“It’s always nice to hear that,” said Verstappen, who added that he did not know what would happen after 2028.

“I don’t know after 2028 what happens, if I am going to continue, sign a new deal, I don’t know.”

Verstappen dominated the first two grands prix of the season in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia to put him on a nine-race win streak.

Should he cross the finish line first in Australia, he will equal his own record of winning 10 races in a row.

Sergio Perez, who finished runner-up to his teammate in the opening two races, said he hoped Verstappen remained, with the team in “a very strong position”.

“To achieve that it takes a lot of years,” he said.

“Everyone in the team is working well together now, the whole engineering team is united. You can see that on the track and how efficient we have been in the last years.

“So I don’t see any reason to change it and it will obviously be a blow if Max were to leave.”

Lewis Hamilton supporting the Academy Championship earlier this month. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton said there is “a real lack of accountability” in motorsport on Thursday and threw his support behind Susie Wolff, who has taken legal action against governing body the FIA.

Wolff, director of Formula One’s academy series for aspiring female drivers, revealed Wednesday she lodged a criminal complaint in the French courts over a controversial inquiry into her conduct last year.

Wolff and her husband, Mercedes Formula One team principal Toto Wolff, were the subject of an investigation into an alleged conflict of interest.

The probe arose in December after a magazine report claimed that other team principals were concerned Toto Wolff was benefiting from information shared by his wife.

But the FIA ended its investigation just two days after announcing its compliance department was looking into the matter.

Both Formula One and Mercedes strongly rejected the accusations and made clear their frustration with the FIA’s handling of the matter.

“I’m incredibly proud of Susie, she is so brave and stands for such great values, she is such a leader,” said Mercedes’ seven-time world champion Hamilton ahead of the Australian Grand Prix.

“In a world where often people are silent, for her to be standing up sends such a great message and I love that she is taking it out of this (F1) world, because there is a real lack of accountability within the sport and the FIA.

“Things happen behind closed doors, there is no transparency, there really is no accountability.”

In a social media post at the time the allegations arose, Susie Wolff branded them as “intimidatory and misogynistic”.

“There has still not been any transparency or accountability in relation to the conduct of the FIA and its personnel in this matter,” she said on social media Wednesday.

“I feel more than ever it is important to stand up, call out improper behaviour and make sure people are held to account. Whilst some may think silence absolves them from responsibility — it does not.”

Hamilton said he hoped her stance would bring about change.

“It is still a male dominated sport. We are living in a time where the message is if you file a complaint, you will be fired,” he said.

“And that is a terrible narrative to be projected to the world, especially when we talk about inclusivity.”

– © AFP 2024