'Verstappen the fastest driver Red Bull have had'

Max Verstappen is the fastest driver to ever perform for Red Bull, according to the team's chief Dr Helmut Marko.

Verstappen is in red-hot form, having won two of the last three races, while he ought to have finished on the podium in the other, at Silverstone, but a strong race was ruined by Sebastian Vettel crashing into him.

Prior to his victory in Austria, reports had spread that Verstappen's contract contains certain performance clauses which could have seen him leave.

Mercedes were mentioned as a potential destination, indeed the Silver Arrows have twice before tried to sign the Dutchman.

However, Marko believes Red Bull will keep hold of their star man, and paid him the ultimate compliment in the process.

"Max wants to win so he is satisfied and happy when he's winning," Marko told Sky Sports.

"But he sees the progress what we are doing and, as it looks, he has to stay with us anyway.

"I don't think [he will leave] next year and we have to see how the progress from the Honda side is and the progress from the chassis side.

"But we are looking good here and we won two races and in Silverstone we were unlucky, otherwise we would have finished second. So we are in a good route and getting more and more competitive.

"I would say he is the one who is the most mature and also the fastest driver we had."

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