Max Verstappen breaks silence over Ted Kravitz's Red Bull F1 exit theory

26 October 2023 , 21:12

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Max Verstappen offered clarity on the rumour spread by Ted Kravitz (Image: Getty Images)

Max Verstappen shut down a rumour spread by Sky F1's Ted Kravitz that one of his close Red Bull allies might be leaving the team.

Kravitz had been left baffled by a line over the radio from Verstappen after winning the United States Grand Prix Sprint race. The Dutchman had sent a message to engineer Michael Manning which left the Sky Sports reporter wondering if it was a public goodbye.

And so he sought out the Irishman who apparently gave a cryptic response. "Michael Manning, the Irish engineer for Red Bull, was just outside the office and I said to him, 'Alright, Michael?' Kravitz recounted on his Ted's Notebook programme.

"I know he's been at Red Bull an awful long time. 'What's happening, are you off?' And he said, 'No comment, that's confidential'. And if Michael Manning is off and he's just not telling us then, well, goodbye Michael Manning. Thank you and goodbye."

Manning's answer clearly piqued Kravitz's interest, but it seems the Red Bull engineer was simply teasing the Sky reporter. Asked about his colleague's potential departure, Verstappen shut down the talk.

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"Yeah, it's my start guy," said the Dutchman, who said it was a message to Manning after getting a good start off the line. "I mean, the poor guy has had a few tough races, so I was just joking, like that it wasn't too bad this time."

Verstappen may have won in Austin but he wasn't a popular man among everyone at the Circuit of the Americas. Some fans could be heard booing the Dutchman as he took to the podium and it soon became clear that it was a section of die-hard Sergio Perez fans who were behind the rancour.

Clearly unhappy that Verstappen has been dominating that particular driver partnership this year, some chanted Perez's name throughout the Dutch national anthem as it was played to mark the champion's victory. Given F1 races in the Mexican's homeland this weekend, the team has decided to take no chances.

Team boss Christian Horner joked after the Austin race: "I don't think Max is going to get the warmest reception in Mexico! But that's water off a duck's back. One year you are the villain, the next year you are the hero." But despite that dismissal, the team has hired bodyguards for their star driver just to ensure his safety in Mexico City.

But it seems that was against Verstappen's own wishes. "Max doesn't actually want that and is relaxed. But we have responsibility for him. So we just want to be on the safe side," Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko said.

Daniel Moxon