Asked if he was sure that he would see out his Red Bull contract, which runs until 2028, Verstappen said: “That has, of course, always been the intention of signing. That’s why we signed so long to be here.

“And of course, it's about the performance of the car and from 2026 onwards, that is a bit of a question mark with new regulations.

“But I knew that, when I signed my contract, I also know what they have done for me in my career, right? So yeah, the intention is, of course, absolutely, to stay with this team, because I really enjoy it.

“And I'm also really happy within the team. So as long as we perform there is no reason also to leave.”