Mekies shares latest on Verstappen’s future amid ‘crucial’ Red Bull upgrades

Laurent Mekies has shared another update on Max Verstappen’s Red Bull future, claiming the Dutchman “has made clear to us that he wants to continue with the team”, while being well aware that “he needs a fast car to be happy”.

Verstappen holds a contract with Red Bull through 2028, but there are believed to be performance-based get-out clauses included in the deal that could allow him to end it early and move elsewhere.

After winning four successive world titles from 2021 to 2024, Verstappen narrowly missed out on the 2025 crown, while Red Bull have made a stuttering start to F1’s new era of regulations – sitting a distant fourth in the 2026 Teams’ Championship.

Asked ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix for the latest on Verstappen’s commitment to Red Bull, who have brought a sizeable upgrade package to Spielberg, team boss Mekies explained how both parties are approaching the situation.

“Max wants a fast car, always wanted a fast car, and he completely trusts us in making sure we are doing everything we can in the short-term and the long-term to ensure we return to success and continue to succeed,” said Mekies.

“We look at the results on the track, that’s the only thing that matters, and hopefully the results will improve rapidly.”

Referencing the importance of Red Bull’s latest round of updates for the RB22, he added: “We completely know that we need more steps. This weekend is quite a crucial step to try to get much closer and fight for bigger positions.

“It doesn’t mean that everything will be resolved this weekend, it means that we will need a bit of time to get the package to work – it’s very large.

“Whether that is influencing the timing of discussions with Max, honestly no. Max knows very well how much an F1 team needs to absorb one second of deficit to the competition.

“We hope we can get out of this weekend and be within the last two or three tenths, which I think with the number of races is a remarkable progression, and that’s what matters at the moment – that we are able to close that gap continuously.”

Asked specifically if Verstappen has given his word to Red Bull that he will stay onboard in 2027, and whether he was aware of any talks with rival teams, Mekies smiled while offering one more assessment from his perspective.

“I think the last time I was in this press conference, I said that I’m not asking Max every week if he’s going to stay,” he commented. “Max has made clear to us that he wants to continue with the team. It’s equally clear that he needs a fast car for him to be happy with the team.

“As I said a few weeks ago, we’re not asking Max every week. He’s pushing with us, he’s helping us to find the right development path for the car. Again, this morning [in FP1], doing very large tests, scans through the sessions, to try to turn all the stones possible.

“It’s not a topic for us. The topic for us is to get the car back to where we want it to be.”