Lewis Hamilton says working with Adrian Newey at Ferrari ‘would be a privilege’

Newey’s decision to leave Red Bull comes in the wake of allegations of sexual harassment and coercive, controlling behaviour made by a female employee against team principal Christian Horner, which the 50-year-old denies.

Verstappen has repeatedly been asked whether Horner has his full backing and has given equivocal answers, while emphasising that he wants the senior team at Red Bull to stay together.

Newey is arguably the single most influential person on that team.

Verstappen said Newey had been “incredibly important” for Red Bull’s success over the years but emphasised that “his role has changed a bit and a lot of people don’t understand what he was actually doing – I don’t say he wasn’t doing anything but his role has evolved”.

He added: “Of course I would have preferred him to stay, for sure, because you can always rely on his experience and just as a person he is a great guy to chat to and relate to.

“He is very bright and smart but he would also talk to the driver and interpret that into the car, in terms he would try to imagine himself driving.

“But I also really trust that the technical team we have outside of Adrian is really strong. They have shown that for the last few years how competitive the car is.

“From the outside it looks very dramatic, but if you know what is happening inside the team it is not as dramatic as it seems.”

Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull lasts until 2028 but Mercedes are pursuing the Dutchman and hope to persuade him to move to them in time for next year or 2026.

Asked whether losing Newey would have an impact on his future, Verstappen said: “Not at the moment.”

He acknowledged that the developments at Red Bull this year were “a bit unexpected”, but added: “It is always very important to remain calm and focused on your job, know who you’re working with, feel comfortable.

“At the end of the day, we need to have the fastest car. That’s what I always demanded, that’s what we finally got for a couple of years now. And we have a very strong technical team that are part of the team for a long time. It goes on like it was going before.”