Red Bull 'put an end to Max Verstappen to Leeds United rumours' in wild F1 crossover

Red Bull Racing’s social media accounts have confirmed that Max Verstappen will not be swapping Milton Keynes for Elland Road next season, despite the energy drink company purchasing a minority stake in the Championship giants ahead of the 2024/25 campaign.

The three-time world champion’s future has been questioned routinely throughout the opening eight race weekends of 2024, but what is for certain is that Verstappen will not be swapping his racing boots for football ones when the Championship season gets underway in August.

Leeds and Red Bull confirmed the news of their new partnership on Thursday after the Monaco Grand Prix with the energy drink’s iconic logo set to feature on the front of the Whites’ shirts from next season onwards.

Commenting on the new partnership, Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff - who recently had a war of words with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff - said: “We are delighted to be an important element and partner of Leeds United. A club that is certainly one of the biggest in England and has a rich and successful history.

“The ambition to bring Leeds United back to the Premier League and establish themselves in the best football league in the world fits very well with Red Bull. We look forward to the partnership and are optimistic and energized about the future.”

However, they will not be poaching Red Bull’s star man. The Red Bull Racing X account posted a snap of Verstappen taking part in a previous edition of the annual Monaco GP weekend charity football match with the caption: “Just to put an end to the rumours… @Max33Verstappen will NOT be joining @LUFC for their 2024/25 season.”

While Verstappen has no interest in joining up with the Yorkshire-based outfit, he is an avid supporter of Eredivisie club PSV Eindhoven, publicly expressing his support for the 24-time national champions on multiple occasions. The Dutchman also plays his fair share of EA Sports FC (formerly FIFA) during breaks at race weekends.

Explaining his connection to his club, Verstappen told Formule1.nl: “That started with my father when he was sponsored by Philips. At that time he was regularly invited to PSV matches and sometimes I accompanied him. Gradually a certain bond grows, a click, and you can also associate yourself with that club. PSV emotionally suits me better than, say, Ajax.

“The Amsterdam mentality is different from the Eindhoven warmth. And Limburg is of course also closer to Brabant, in terms of distance, but also in terms of mentality. I'm not a football player myself, although I sometimes kick a ball. I especially enjoy watching matches. I really try to follow all PSV matches, if I can manage it in terms of planning.”