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Max Verstappen's future remains a source of speculation in the paddock, but Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has insisted there is no cause for alarm. The Frenchman acknowledged that rival teams continue to show interest in the four-time world champion, while Red Bull themselves field calls from drivers seeking a seat. His confidence rests on one thing: if the RB22 continues to improve, Verstappen stays.
Red Bull's ideal pairing
"It works both ways," Mekies said. "It's not strange that teams enquire about Max, because he is simply the best driver in the world. At the same time, we as a top team also regularly get calls from strong drivers who are interested. That's just part of Formula 1. For us, that changes nothing: we have to make the car faster. Then you naturally keep the best driver in the world on board. Besides, we see how much progress Isack Hadjar is making alongside Max. That is the ideal line-up for us and we want to keep it."
Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, but performance clauses in that deal could allow him to leave after this season. Mercedes and McLaren have both been linked with the Dutchman in recent months, though a near-term switch now appears increasingly unlikely. Red Bull's uptick in form since their Austria upgrade has shifted the narrative.
Mekies told Sky Sports that driver market interest flows both ways. Teams enquire about Verstappen because he is, in Mekies' words, simply the best driver in the world. Red Bull, as a top team, receives regular approaches from strong drivers wanting to join. Neither changes the fundamental task: make the car faster.
Hadjar's promotion from the junior programme has provided a stabilising factor. While Sergio Pérez's exit opened the door for internal change, Hadjar has now finished in the top six for six consecutive races. Verstappen, meanwhile, has secured two podiums since the Austria upgrade. The combination, Mekies believes, gives Red Bull the driver pairing they need to capitalise on further car development.
From a second down to three tenths
Mekies framed Red Bull's 2025 campaign as a recovery from a difficult starting position. The team began the season more than a second off the pace, a deficit he attributes to last year's late title fight and the demands of adapting to new power unit regulations. That gap has since closed to two or three tenths, a margin that reflects both Red Bull's progress and the difficulty of extracting the final increments of performance.
"We started the season more than a second behind the fastest teams, and that had everything to do with last year's late title fight and the enormous challenge of the new engine regulations," Mekies explained. "Now we're no longer talking about a second, but two or three tenths. Those are the hardest tenths to find, but that's where our full focus is now. When you're a second short, Max is frustrated and we completely understand that. The best way to make all the speculation about his future disappear is to find those last tenths."
One team, one goal
Mekies was clear about the alignment between Verstappen's ambitions and Red Bull's objectives. Both want to win. Red Bull's sole goal is to return to the front of the grid, and Verstappen's contract clauses are structured around the team's ability to deliver a competitive car. If Red Bull can bridge the remaining gap to the leaders, the team principal believes the speculation will resolve itself.
"Red Bull has only one goal and that is to win," Mekies said. "That is exactly the same goal as Max. That's why we continue to work as one team to build the fastest car on the grid again." Red Bull's challenge now is to prove that the progress since Austria is sustainable, and that the final tenths are within reach before Verstappen's exit window opens at the end of the season.
Dutch Grand Prix
I. Hadjar
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