Revealed: Red Bull’s true stance on Max Verstappen exit threat

Though Max Verstappen has quashed rumours that he could be set to leave Red Bull Racing at the conclusion of the F1 2025 season, new Red Bull Racing team principal Laurent Mekies has weighed in on just how important the driver is to the team.

Mekies states that Verstappen is and “has always been… central to the team,” and that his ongoing experience will be “essential” to helping the team succeed in the future.

Laurent Mekies clarifies Max Verstappen future stance

The Formula 1 rumour mill saw its momentum arrested during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend when Max Verstappen reaffirmed his commitment to Red Bull Racing.

The team from Milton Keynes has been struggling throughout the F1 2025 season. Beginning in 2024, it was clear that McLaren was capable of producing a championship-worthy car, while Red Bull struggled to find balance and pace.

From the start of 2025, then, it was clear that McLaren were going to be the cream of the crop — and as the RB21 became plagued by balance and grip issues, rumours emerged that reigning champion Verstappen was in the market for a new Formula 1 team.

With Mercedes holding off on renewing the contracts of both of its drivers, Verstappen’s name was soon associated with the Silver Arrows team — and team boss Toto Wolff never argued against it.

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Speaking to Sky Sports F1 during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Laurent Mekies made quick work of putting to bed the rumours of Verstappen’s departure by pointing out that Verstappen is “central” to the team.

Further, Mekies claimed, “I don’t think there was a real doubt, as far as the team is concerned” regarding Verstappen’s future with Red Bull Racing.

Mekies continued, “Max has been saying it over and over again, and we know what he wants: He wants the fast car.

“Now the fact that he said it a bit louder this time I guess is good for everyone to hear, but as far as we are concerned, he has always been a part and central to the team.”

For the past four years, Red Bull have provided Verstappen with a car worthy of winning a World Championship — and for the past four years, the Dutchman has done so.

And prior to that, Verstappen’s tenure at Red Bull was characterized by the potential to secure a championship, with the team making tangible steps forward each season. The F1 2025 season has been the first real sign of weakness for the Milton Keynes organization — an organization that has designed its cars around a driver situated firmly at the center of a rumour mill regarding his potential swap to Mercedes.

Not only is Verstappen a critical element of the team; Mekies went on to note that the driver’s experience will be “essential” to turning the team around, which means Red Bull will be relying on him for assistance in the future when it comes to transforming the car.

“He knows when the car has been working, he knows when the car has not been working, and especially in a situation like that when it’s not so much a balance issue, it’s really like we are struggling to find the level of grip that we should be having here, and he’s certainly a huge, huge help in these situations,” Mekies explained.

Now that Verstappen has whisked away some of the more major rumours about his future, Red Bull can truly focus on transforming its fortunes for the F1 2026 season.

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