London [UK], April 29: Max Verstappen's future in Formula One will not be swayed by staff departures at Red Bull, according to team principal Laurent Mekies.
Dutchman Verstappen has been a huge critic of F1's new rules - comparing them to Mario Kart - and hinted at the last round in Japan that he could walk away.
There have been some structural changes at Red Bull, with mechanic Ole Schack resigning last month and chief designer Craig Skinner having also left the team.
It has also since emerged that the four-time world champion's long-term race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was set to leave Red Bull when his contract expires to join rivals McLaren as chief racing officer in 2028.
Mekies, though, stressed it was "absolutely not" the case that the behind-the-scenes moves would likely result in Verstappen - who has a contract with Red Bull until 2028 - deciding to switch teams or even leave the sport.
"Obviously, we speak with Max every day. And Max knows motorsport upside-down. He's living and breathing this team," Mekies told reporters, quoted by The Telegraph, during a media tour of Red Bull Powertrains in Milton Keynes.
"He knows most of these guys. He understands very well the dynamics that can happen."
Mekies added: "The team has been extremely successful and you can't promote everyone, and some people make some decisions."
F1 chiefs have agreed a number of tweaks to the rulebook - aimed at appeasing Verstappen and others critical of the new rules - with the changes set to be introduced for the Miami Grand Prix when the season resumes following cancellation of the races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
Red Bull have struggled to make an impact on the podium so far this season, with Verstappen finishing in eighth place in Suzuka as early championship leader Kimi Antonelli took another victory for Mercedes.
Mekies, though, maintains everyone on the team is determined to get things back on track. "The atmosphere right now is fantastic, in terms of trying to turn around what seems to be a difficult thing to turn around," he said.
"It won't happen in Miami, (but) I hope we see some signs."
Source: Qatar Tribune
