Max Verstappen won't leave Red Bull, confirms Helmut Marko: "Nothing else is on the horizon"

Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that Max Verstappen will not leave the Austrian team as he always wants to be in the fastest car.

The three-time world champion's future at Red Bull has been a topic of speculation ever since reports of an internal power struggle surfaced in the early part of the season.

Verstappen had aligned himself with Marko and claimed that he might leave the team if the Austrian departed, but both parties, for now, remain part of the Milton-Keynes outfit.

However, the constant uncertainty around Max Verstappen has given other teams like Mercedes to try and convince him to join them in the future despite the driver having a contract with Red Bull until 2028.

Speaking with OE24, Helmut Marko claimed that Verstappen and Red Bull were an 'unbeatable combination' and said:

“He always wants to be in the fastest car. And Max in the Red Bull? That’s an unbeatable combination. But if you put the Max in a Ferrari, things would look different.

"The 20 seconds that he is ahead of Checo [Perez] corresponds to his driving superiority. Max will drive where he has the best car and he has that at Red Bull. Nothing else is on the horizon.”

Red Bull team boss warns Toto Wolff regarding acquiring Max Verstappen's services

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner stated that his Mercedes counterpart should focus on improving their car rather than acquiring drivers who are already under contract.

Speaking with the media, including Sportskeeda, Horner said:

“I don’t know how many more times he needs to say it, he’s said it numerous times. I think sometimes it’s just designed to create noise. We moved ahead today of the races Mercedes has won in the modern era. Of the teams in form, why on Earth would you want to leave this team?

“Mercedes are the third team behind their customers [McLaren and Aston Martin] at the moment, so I think [Wolff's] time would be better spent perhaps focusing on the team, rather than the driver market. I can assure you there is no ambiguity about where Max Verstappen will be next year.”

Max Verstappen has remained clear regarding his future and has reiterated his wish to stay with Red Bull for the foreseeable future.