Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has rejected any suggestion of Max Verstappen leaving at the end of 2019.
The Dutchman has become the talisman at the Milton Keynes outfit following the departure of Daniel Ricciardo, with a third and three fourth-place finishes to begin this year.
However, earlier this month, it was Red Bull’s own advisor Helmut Marko who triggered suggestions Max could move to Mercedes after suggesting he was in “regular” contact with team boss Toto Wolff.
Marko also confirmed Verstappen has a performance clause in his contract, likely similar to that of Sebastian Vettel who used Red Bull’s demise in 2014 to trigger a switch to Ferrari.
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But while the performance of the Anglo-Austrian team has remained below that of their top three rivals, Horner is sure his star asset will stay put.
“Max has a contract, so everything is fine,” the Red Bull chief was quoted by GPFans.com. “I am 100 per cent sure he will drive for our team next year.”
The 21-year-old though might be forgiven for keeping an eye on the situation at Mercedes and Ferrari in the next few years though, should Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel decide to call it a day.