Max Verstappen had the perfect chance to end F1 rumours – but chose not to

The rumours surrounding his future could have been firmly ended by Max Verstappen on Thursday. But, instead, the four-time F1 World Champion opted against doing so.

At a time when speculation swirls around his future, the Dutch driver seemed content to allow the rumour mill surrounding him to continue.

Max Verstappen declined to end speculation of a Red Bull exit at Spa

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“I think it’s time to stop all the rumours. For me, it was always quite clear that I was staying,” was Verstappen’s blunt ending of all the speculation at last year’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Just a few weeks on from the turmoil of the firing of Christian Horner and the realignment of Red Bull‘s approach to its F1 team, Verstappen firmly quashed everything in two short sentences at the start of his media session during the Budapest weekend.

But no such quashing was forthcoming as Verstappen appeared before the media on Thursday at Spa-Francorchamps, coming after an upswell in speculation linking him with Oscar Piastri’s seat at McLaren (PlanetF1.com being one of the publications contributing to this, following our story following the British Grand Prix).

The Dutch driver was given ample opportunity to do so, with Globo TV’s Mariana Becker asking him in straightforward fashion whether he wants to remain at Red Bull.

“I don’t want to go here and say yes and no, and this and that, about my future,” the four-time F1 World Champion said.

“I’ve said already many times that if there was something new, I would say it myself. Thank you.”

For a man famed for being straight-talking and direct, the evasiveness of this answer is notable, especially given the similar non-commitment from Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen’s manager, in an interview with Austria’s OE24, published on Wednesday.

“A lot has been written about it. But the truth is that Max wants to see things through with Red Bull,” he said.

“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.”

It all sounds very affirmative and positive but, crucially, there’s just enough wiggle room left in there to ensure there are no outright lies if things don’t pan out as stated – Verstappen might want to see things through until his contract ends, but, if he’s so certain to do so, why not state that Verstappen will see it through?

There’s also some muddying of the waters: Verstappen’s escape clause is understood to have not been able to be triggered in seasons prior to the current one, due to his position in the championship – it is believed to be able to be triggered after next weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the first time possible in his career since becoming a World Champion.

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Last year, the firing of Horner appeared to calm the waters of a troubled Red Bull enough to convince Verstappen the right steps were being taken for the sake of team harmony and performance.

This year, there is no such sacrificial lamb that can be used. The car performance is sporadic, the shareholders are said to be less than pleased by the non-commitment, and the majority of long-term people to whom Verstappen may have felt loyalty to have either moved on or are going to.

In Formula 1, it’s always a case of reading what is not being said, deciphering the wriggle room that those speaking on the record are leaving on the table to ensure they can’t be tripped up by their own words at a later date – it’s the basics of the media training that all these figures go through.

If Verstappen wanted the speculation to end, he – or Vermeulen – could easily have done so, before this weekend. Instead, the door for speculation has been left open still. The question mark is the why.

Is it a case of trying to keep Red Bull on its toes, potentially for months, as a message not to be taken for granted at a time when multiple sources have suggested the relationship is at an all-time low?

A ploy to eke out a few more millions (even though it’s said he turned down an $8 million offer to have the escape clause written out of his contract)? Or is it down to the status of the negotiations that sources continue to insist are ongoing with McLaren?

On Thursday, Oscar Piastri made some revealing comments about this, amid the speculation surrounding his seat.

“Clearly, Max is feeling that maybe he’s not in a great position at the moment or exploring options,” he said.

“It was the same thing last year with him and Mercedes, so it’s nothing new, but I’m very happy with where I’m at, where things are at and how it’s going.”

If there are negotiations ongoing, Piastri was keen to highlight his trust in those who might be having those conversations.

“For me, I’m very comfortable with where I am and where I sit,” he said.

“Zak and Andrea and the whole team have been great through all that. Very reassuring – and I’ve been the same to them!”

But, while Piastri and his camp continue to insist everything is fine on their end, following Mark Webber’s recent interview with Racer.com along the same lines, the issue for them is that it may not be their decision to make.

There are quite a few ‘ifs’ involved: If Verstappen decides he wants a fresh start and McLaren ticks enough boxes, if Zak Brown and Vermeulen come to favourable terms on a contract, if Brown decides the upsides of signing Verstappen are worth the downsides of the optics and the finances of paying Piastri off to vacate his seat before his contract expires.

If all these pieces align, then all the insistence in the world doesn’t keep Piastri in the seat. Behind closed doors, just how confident is Camp Piastri that Verstappen’s ‘option exploring’ doesn’t result in a deal being struck?

Speaking at Silverstone, Brown did largely shut down earlier speculation regarding Verstappen. Speaking in response to a question from PlanetF1.com about what McLaren could offer Verstappen that Red Bull perhaps couldn’t, the CEO said, “I haven’t really thought about that because I’ve got two drivers in the seats. So, what I couldn’t offer him was a seat in my race car.”

But, remembering what I said about reading what is not being said, Brown’s comments were offered in retrospect, a reference back to a past event. Why not, “What I can’t offer him is a seat”? A small differentiation, but just enough wiggle room left on the table.

Certainly, sources continue to suggest that Verstappen is at a real crossroads in his career. Faced with his first contract escape clause, will there be enough motivation from both sides to reach an agreement with McLaren, or will he stick with the contract that Vermeulen has said he’d like to see through?

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