Max Verstappen to join Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes? Red Bull chief CONFIRMS contact
MERCEDES team principal Toto Wolff has been in contact with Max Verstappen regarding the 21-year-old’s future at Red Bull.
Bahrain Grand Prix: Max Verstappen reacts to fourth place finish
That is the claim of Red Bull boss Helmut Marko.
Verstappen is under contract until the end of next season, after he signed a lucrative new deal last year.
Despite this, it appears that Mercedes have been eyeing up the young phenom as a potential Silver Arrows driver in the future.
Marko also confirmed that there is a ‘performance clause’ in the Dutchman’s contract, though it is not clear exactly what this clause entails.
“There is certainly a performance clause in Max's contract,” Marko told AutoBild.
“Toto Wolff regularly calls him and his father, Jos.
"I am relaxed about it.
“He feels good with us and if we give him world championship material, I will not worry that he will stay."
Verstappen is viewed by many as a future world champion, and is the youngest ever Grand Prix winner, after he won the Spanish Grand Prix aged just 18.
With rival teams circling the youngster, Red Bull face a tough fight to keep their star.
Last year, they made the move to switch their Renault engine for a more reliable Honda model.
This came after Verstappen was forced to retire from three Grand Prix last year, with then-team-mate Daniel Ricciardo retiring from eight.
Toto Wolff blasts ‘over-confident’ Verstappen over Bottas crash
But this year hasn’t started too well for the youngster, as he went from a podium finish in Australia to fourth in Bahrain, after suffering car issues.
Marko expects the Red Bull car will improve and that Verstappen just needs to give it time.
“There will be no new car,” he continued. “We have an aerodynamic problem, that is in the chassis.
The solution is not a matter of doing it in a week. The first package is coming in China next week.
“Only in Spain will the necessary aerodynamic adjustment be made.”