Max Verstappen is not planning to leave Red Bull amid Adrian Newey’s shock departure from the team.
At least not yet.
The reigning world champion addressed speculation that he is reconsidering his future with the team ahead of Thursday’s Miami Grand Prix.
“Not at the moment,” he told reporters when asked if recent events, including the Christian Horner scandal, were affecting his decision-making.
‘I cannot deny that I would have preferred [Newey] stay because of who he is as a person, his knowledge and what he would potentially contribute to another team,” Verstappen admitted.
Max Verstappen said changes at Red Bull are not having an impact on his future, yet
Chief Technology Officer Adrian Newey made the shock announcement of his departure.
Newey’s departure comes a few weeks after Christian Horner was embroiled in his own scandal.
However, the Dutch driver said he has faith in the rest of the Red Bull design team, noting that the Chief Technology Officer’s role had “changed” a lot since he joined in 2006.
“A lot of good people joined the team and that has strengthened the entire department,” he explained.
“I am confident that the technical team we have outside of Adrian is very strong,” Verstappen continued, citing the car’s fast performance in recent seasons.
Meanwhile, Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton said he is “very much” looking forward to working with Newey when he joins the Italian constructor next season.
‘Adrian Newey has a great history and track record and has done incredible work throughout his career. With the knowledge he has, he would be an incredible addition,” the seven-time world champion told reporters on Thursday.
“They (Ferrari) have a great team and are making great progress and their car is faster this year, but it would be a privilege to work with him,” he continued.
“If I made a list of people I’d like to work with, he (Newey) would absolutely be at the top.”
