Laurent Mekies sets out Max Verstappen criteria for Red Bull stay

Max Verstappen has made it clear that he wants to stay with Red Bull. He also wants “a fast car” and “continuous progress” if his wish is to be realised.

That is the criteria revealed by Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies, at a time where Verstappen to Mercedes rumours had bubbled back up. Red Bull hopes to take another step in convincing Verstappen at its home race, the Austrian Grand Prix, where Red Bull strives to narrow its deficit to rivals to under three tenths.

Max Verstappen Red Bull stay conditions revealed

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Verstappen has spoken about wanting to complete his Formula 1 career as a Red Bull driver, yet the current competitive picture in F1 2026 has sparked fresh rumblings over his future.

Verstappen’s contract, which runs until the end of 2028, is understood to contain a performance-related exit clause. It is widely reported that if Verstappen is outside of the top two in the Drivers’ Championship by Hungary, which looks almost guaranteed, then he can activate the clause.

While Red Bull was adjudged to have the best internal combustion engine at the first FIA ADUO (Additional Development and Upgrade Opportunities) checkpoint, Verstappen’s P3 in Montreal serves as his and the team’s best result so far this season.

Red Bull turned heads by introducing a seven-part upgrade for the RB22 in Austria. PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher asked Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal, what is more important with this upgrade in regards to Verstappen’s future, outright performance, or showing Verstappen that the correlation is there.

“I’m convinced that Max wants to see continuous progress,” Mekies replied.

“He knows very well that you don’t go from one second to zero in no time, but he wants to see that path I’m sure to continue to improve.

“And I think it’s only about, to your question, overall lap time. So if we can close that gap to only a couple of tenths, it will mean that we still keep having the gap to the competition, but hopefully be in the striking range soon.”

Asked whether Verstappen has given his word that he will stay with Red Bull for F1 2027, and whether he is aware of Verstappen talking with any other teams, Mekies added: “I’m not asking Max every week if he’s going to stay.

“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.

“You may recall also that he has been vocal about the progress that we need to have on the regulations. We are in a fortunate situation for the sport, where there has been a very open session between FIA, F1, the teams, and we have managed to tweak these regulations for ’27 and ’28 and I think it’s great not only for Max, but it’s great for the fast drivers, and it’s great for the sport.

“So, we are not asking Max every week. He is there. He is pushing with us, is helping us to find the right development paths for the car. Again this morning, doing very large test scans through the sessions to try to turn all the stones possible.

“So it’s not a topic for us. The topic for us is to get the car back to where we want it to be. If the car is back where we want it to be, there will be no discussion.”

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Speaking of where Red Bull wants the car to be, the team hopes to leave its home race in Austria another step closer to the ultimate pace.

“We started very far away,” Mekies admitted. “We have done that step in Miami four races ago that left us around the four, five tenths threshold, which on some tracks allows us to fight for the podium, on some tracks that has not allowed us to fight for the podium.

“Now, regardless of Max, that’s not what we are here to do, so we completely know that we need more steps.

“This weekend is quite a crucial step to try to get much closer and to try to 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 that package to work. It’s very large.

“Now, whether that is influencing timing of discussions with Max, honestly, no.

“Max knows very well how much a Formula 1 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 from the competition, which I think, in the number of races, is a remarkable progression, and that’s what matters at that moment, that we are able to close that gap continuously. I’m sure that’s the most important factor for all of us.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

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