Max Verstappen has issued a stark warning to Red Bull, stating that the upcoming races will be "very important" in determining his future in Formula One. This ominous declaration comes amidst ongoing rumours that the Dutch driver might part ways with the team at the end of this season. Verstappen's contract includes clauses that would permit him to exit if Red Bull fails to achieve certain performance benchmarks.

Currently, they sit third place in the constructors' championship, but Ferrari are hot on their heels, trailing by just 11 points. "I want to see how the rest of the season, or at least part of it, goes," the defending world champion said. "That's the intention [to stay], unless things go really strangely. But that [a departure] is not my intention at the moment.

"Big, decent steps can be taken by the team. The upcoming races are very important, also for my future... I think everyone in the team realises that."

When discussing his future, Verstappen has so far refrained from making any definitive statements, seemingly keeping his options open. He has been strongly linked with Mercedes and Aston Martin in recent months.

The latter could offer a more lucrative deal and the chance to reunite with renowned designer Adrian Newey and engine suppliers Honda, who have been instrumental in all his Red Bull triumphs thus far. However, for the four-time champion, being in the fastest car is paramount.

At present, that's the McLaren, but Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have long-term contracts, as do Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc at Ferrari. Mercedes dominated F1 for years after the last power unit rule changes.

And they are being touted to construct formidable engines once again for the new era. However, Verstappen is aware that it's tough to predict what's coming in 2026: "It's a bit difficult to estimate. Next year everything will be new in the sport again. And everyone can say that they know who has the best credentials, but nobody knows for sure."

Verstappen narrowly missed out on pole position by less than one tenth of a second at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Saturday, with Piastri clinching the fastest time in qualifying.

This puts the Australian in an ideal position as he vies for his fourth consecutive Grand Prix win, but Verstappen was content with the noticeable improvement in his Red Bull compared to Friday's practice.

He said: "It was definitely a good step forward. Yesterday was tough, but today everything felt a bit more normal. I was a lot happier. Overall, I'm just quite happy with the car. What we did overnight was very good and it's very promising.

"But the race of course is a different story because, if we're already overheating [the tyres] over one lap, the race of course is not going to be easy."

Verstappen will aim to outpace Piastri on the first lap, while also keeping an eye on Norris trailing behind him. However, the Dutch driver insists he won't lose any sleep over what the McLarens might do.

He concluded: "The most important thing is that we do our own race whether they pass or not. We'll just try to maximise everything in our car."