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Red Bull insists “no discussions” about Max Verstappen’s F1 future “if we get a fast car”
Red Bull remain confident that Max Verstappen will not elect to walk away from Formula 1 at the end of the season, as he has repeatedly dropped hints that he could do.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies is confident the Formula 1 team can retain Max Verstappen by simply delivering him a “fast car”.
Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the new generation regulations, describing the action as “anti-racing” and akin to “Mario Kart”.
He has also dropping increasingly significant hints that he could step away from F1, with his enjoyment a key factor in this process.
However, Mekies has stated that retirement is not an ongoing discussion, and remains confident of keeping the Dutchman into 2027.
“You need to come to Milton Keynes to see the fire behind every door, and you will soon realise why I am smiling right now, because we don’t think about the driver market for ’27,” Mekies told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
“We are thinking about getting a fast car, and if we get a fast car, there is no discussion about what Max is doing next year, and hence, we are focused on that.”
Verstappen has made his position clear to the FIA on changes that should be made to improve the championship, and it is likely these points will be raised in an upcoming meeting of the F1 Commission.
“I have full confidence that as a sport, we have the tools to tweak the regulations, so they are coming back to flat-out qualifying, whilst keeping all of the positive aspects that we are seeing from the racing, from the first couple of races,” added Mekies.
“And I think, if we do that, I have every confidence that Max will see what we all see, that you still have the best 22 drivers in the world there and you will have the fastest car on the planet, and the most competitive environment and he is ultimately, a competitor.”
Verstappen currently sits ninth in the drivers’ standings, on 12 points – 60 off early championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and with a best finish of sixth place.
Rooted firmly in the midfield at present, Red Bull’s struggles are highlighted by its sixth place ranking in the constructors’ battle, with Haas and Alpine currently ahead of the Austrian team.
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Red Bull remain confident that Max Verstappen will not elect to walk away from Formula 1 at the end of the season, as he has repeatedly dropped hints that he could do.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies is confident the Formula 1 team can retain Max Verstappen by simply delivering him a “fast car”.
Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the new generation regulations, describing the action as “anti-racing” and akin to “Mario Kart”.
He has also dropping increasingly significant hints that he could step away from F1, with his enjoyment a key factor in this process.
However, Mekies has stated that retirement is not an ongoing discussion, and remains confident of keeping the Dutchman into 2027.
“You need to come to Milton Keynes to see the fire behind every door, and you will soon realise why I am smiling right now, because we don’t think about the driver market for ’27,” Mekies told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
“We are thinking about getting a fast car, and if we get a fast car, there is no discussion about what Max is doing next year, and hence, we are focused on that.”
Verstappen has made his position clear to the FIA on changes that should be made to improve the championship, and it is likely these points will be raised in an upcoming meeting of the F1 Commission.
“I have full confidence that as a sport, we have the tools to tweak the regulations, so they are coming back to flat-out qualifying, whilst keeping all of the positive aspects that we are seeing from the racing, from the first couple of races,” added Mekies.
“And I think, if we do that, I have every confidence that Max will see what we all see, that you still have the best 22 drivers in the world there and you will have the fastest car on the planet, and the most competitive environment and he is ultimately, a competitor.”
Verstappen currently sits ninth in the drivers’ standings, on 12 points – 60 off early championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and with a best finish of sixth place.
Rooted firmly in the midfield at present, Red Bull’s struggles are highlighted by its sixth place ranking in the constructors’ battle, with Haas and Alpine currently ahead of the Austrian team.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies is confident the Formula 1 team can retain Max Verstappen by simply delivering him a “fast car”.
Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the new generation regulations, describing the action as “anti-racing” and akin to “Mario Kart”.
He has also dropping increasingly significant hints that he could step away from F1, with his enjoyment a key factor in this process.
However, Mekies has stated that retirement is not an ongoing discussion, and remains confident of keeping the Dutchman into 2027.
“You need to come to Milton Keynes to see the fire behind every door, and you will soon realise why I am smiling right now, because we don’t think about the driver market for ’27,” Mekies told F1’s Beyond the Grid podcast.
“We are thinking about getting a fast car, and if we get a fast car, there is no discussion about what Max is doing next year, and hence, we are focused on that.”
Verstappen has made his position clear to the FIA on changes that should be made to improve the championship, and it is likely these points will be raised in an upcoming meeting of the F1 Commission.
“I have full confidence that as a sport, we have the tools to tweak the regulations, so they are coming back to flat-out qualifying, whilst keeping all of the positive aspects that we are seeing from the racing, from the first couple of races,” added Mekies.
“And I think, if we do that, I have every confidence that Max will see what we all see, that you still have the best 22 drivers in the world there and you will have the fastest car on the planet, and the most competitive environment and he is ultimately, a competitor.”
Verstappen currently sits ninth in the drivers’ standings, on 12 points – 60 off early championship leader Kimi Antonelli, and with a best finish of sixth place.
Rooted firmly in the midfield at present, Red Bull’s struggles are highlighted by its sixth place ranking in the constructors’ battle, with Haas and Alpine currently ahead of the Austrian team.
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