Max Verstappen sends Red Bull message amid McLaren speculation
Max Verstappen was quizzed on his F1 future at Spa
Max Verstappen refused to commit his F1 future to Red Bull, but handed the team a boost by describing it as his “second family” amid mounting speculation linking him with McLaren.
PlanetF1.com reported after the British Grand Prix that multiple paddock sources have suggested that Verstappen is poised to decide on whether to switch to McLaren after lengthy negotiations with the Woking team.
Max Verstappen faces fresh Red Bull future questions amid McLaren speculation
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The four-time world champion has been the subject of extensive rumours about his Formula 1 future, with the driver linked to Mercedes, Aston Martin, and, most recently, McLaren.
Rumours of retirement or a sabbatical have also been bandied about.
However, multiple sources have told PlanetF1.com that Verstappen is nearing the end of lengthy negotiations with McLaren.
The 28-year-old was quizzed on his future during Thursday’s FIA press conference for the Belgian Grand Prix weekend.
Asked if he could provide an update, he bluntly replied: “No.”
Any thoughts on the speculation? “Nothing.”
Committed to Red Bull? “I said there’s nothing to say.”
But that didn’t stop the questions as the press conference host, Tom Clarkson, opened it up to the floor.
Verstappen was asked if he wanted to stay at Red Bull next season, but again he gave nothing away.
“I don’t want to go say yes and no, and this and that about my future,” he explained.
“I said already many times that if there was something new, I would say it myself.”
That is until he was asked about loyalty, and what it means to him.
“It’s the relationship that you build over all the years, and things that the team does for you, the things that you do for the team,” he said.
“That has always been really good with Red Bull.
“Of course, from my side, it’s like a second family for me.”
Verstappen’s current Red Bull contract runs through to the end of 2028, but there is an exit clause that is understood to allow him to leave if he is outside the top two in the championship at the summer break.
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With 50 points still in the mix, Verstappen is 78 points behind second-placed George Russell, meaning he could exercise the clause.
However, his manager Raymond Vermeulen says Verstappen hasn’t done it in the past as he would like to see out his Red Bull contract.
“A lot has been written about it. But the truth is that Max wants to see things through with Red Bull,” he told OE24 in the build-up to Spa.
“He has a contract until 2028 and would like to see it through.
“Just because this clause exists doesn’t mean we’ll invoke it. We could have invoked it in previous years and didn’t.”
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
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