Verstappen issues warning to Red Bull

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has threatened that he could leave the team by the end of next season if they fail to provide him with a competitive car.

The 19-year-old is languishing down at the sixth spot in the drivers' championship rankings, with a series of reliability failures hampering his points scoring ability.

Verstappen, who has been linked with a move to Ferrari, lamented the pace deficit the team currently have to Mercedes and Ferrari, before insisting that the same has to change if Red Bull want him to stay beyond the end of the his current contract in 2019.

"I've always said that there's no reason to leave when I have a competitive car. At the moment we are not there where I want to be, but that doesn't mean you have to give up straight away. You have to work hard," Sport24 quoted Verstappen as saying.

"But after two, three years without improving, that would be a different story. We are working hard to improve but after next year we will see what happens in the future," he added.

Verstappen, who is yet to win a race this season, will look for a turnaround when he head into upcoming Belgium Grand Prix.