Nyck de Vries’ management has slammed what it is describing as "fake" comments attributed to the axed Alpha Tauri driver.
Various German-language media, including newspapers Kronen Zeitung, Kurier and Kolner Express, and portals such as sport.de and Laola1, this week published quotes as having apparently been made by de Vries to the Italian press.
The 28-year-old rookie was quoted as having been "promised the second Red Bull seat in 2025", whilst also admitting that Red Bull’s decision to oust him was "not surprising" after the company "stole the eighth title from Lewis Hamilton".
But de Vries’ manager Guillaume Le Goff told f1-insider.com: "Nyck has spoken to absolutely no one, including any Italian media, since the news from Red Bull.
"The news is fake and defamatory."
Further, Le Goff added: "Apparently someone wanted to distinguish themselves. We reserve the right to take this further with legal action.
"There will be an official statement from Nyck later this week, but until then we still have to sort out a few things."