Max Verstappen would be "silly" to walk away from Red Bull despite the ongoing conflict that has engulfed the Formula 1 champions.
Team boss Christian Horner remains under pressure from opponents within Red Bull Racing. And design legend Adrian Newey's departure will only fuel suspicions that not all is well behind the scenes.
Star driver Verstappen has a contract until 2028 but there has been speculation that the upheaval could cause him to walk away. However, former F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone thinks the Dutchman is "too intelligent to do that".
The 93-year-old told RacingNews365: "What would he gain? To go where? It'd be silly to move. There's nowhere he could go where I think he would get exactly the same service as you get at Red Bull."
Mercedes has been suggested as the most likely destination for Verstappen if he does decide to move. And boss Toto Wolff has made no attempt to hide his desire for the Dutchman to join his outfit.
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The Silver Arrows, however, have been off the pace over the last few years and have been unable to compete with Red Bull on track. Ecclestone thinks, though, it would provide an opportunity for the 26-year-old to prove he is capable of winning even when he doesn't have the quickest car.
He added: "Well, the only thing is, you can do that when it suits you, rather than being pushed into it because you would think, 'Why should Mercedes get that big advantage?' They would spend the money. Red Bull spends the money. He knows about Red Bull, he knows exactly what they do and what they don't do.
"Would he go to think he could prove it's not what people say at the moment - maybe it's not him, it's the car that's fantastic. So maybe he would like to go somewhere else to prove, 'It's me, not the car'. It's another side of things. But where would he go? I suppose in the end Mercedes is the obvious choice."
It was claimed earlier this week that Verstappen's father Jos and his manager Raymond Vermeulen were to meet Wolff and his co-owners, INEOS chair Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Mercedes-Benz chief executive Ola Kallenius, to discuss a potential switch. But the Austrian has rubbished that suggestion.
He said: "No, that's one of the rumours. People make up meetings, make up what's happening with the drivers but these things should be behind closed doors and everything that's been out there was not really the right thing."
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