Max Verstappen on Thursday confirmed he will stay with Red Bull next year, dealing a significant blow to Mercedes ' hopes of recruiting him to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton .
The three-time world champion told reporters at a news conference ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, a home event for Red Bull, that he was focussed on work for next year's car and driving for the team.
His response to a direct question will end, for now at least, speculation that he had lost faith in Red Bull following a stormy passage earlier this year when team boss Christian Horner was accused of controlling behaviour by a female colleague.
'Ok, yes,' he said when asked if he was staying. 'And that's what I have already said. We are working on next year's car and when you are focussed on that it means that you're also driving for the team.
'Of course, people are talking, but it's most important that we have a very competitive car for the future. It is very tight on track, but we are working as a team to try and improve. We want to be competitive again next year.'
