Laurent Mekies, the team principal at Red Bull Racing, recently hinted that the outfit is fielding inquiries from a number of "good drivers" who are curious about potential openings on the squad. While the team is aware of the chatter, Mekies stressed that their primary focus remains on sharpening the car’s performance so that Max Verstappen can continue to dominate. As the Formula 1 calendar heads toward the Hungarian Grand Prix – the final event before the summer hiatus – the question of Verstappen’s long‑term future with Red Bull remains a hot topic. His current contract runs through the end of the 2028 season, but it contains performance‑related clauses that could allow him to exit at the close of the 2024 campaign.
Reports suggest he has until October to decide whether to trigger that break clause. Last month, rumors surfaced that Verstappen’s management had opened talks with McLaren. However, McLaren boss Zak Brown quickly clarified that his team already has a stable driver line‑up with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, leaving little room for a high‑profile addition. Similar contractual constraints exist at Mercedes and Ferrari, where the current drivers are locked in for the foreseeable future, effectively narrowing Verstappen’s short‑term alternatives should he decide to stay in the sport beyond 2024.
Given the normal practice of top drivers’ representatives scouting options, Sky Sports F1 asked Mekies at the Belgian Grand Prix whether Red Bull itself was also receiving approaches from other drivers on the grid. "It works both ways," Mekies replied.
"It’s completely natural. Max gets calls from everyone because he’s the best driver in the world, and likewise, a top team like ours gets interest from many talented drivers. That’s just how the business works." When pressed about whether these inquiries could distract the team, Mekies was unequivocal: "Not really. Our full concentration is on making the car as quick as possible, keeping the world’s best driver with us, and developing the partnership with Isack Hadjar alongside Max.
That combination is ideal for us, and we aim to preserve it." Mekies expressed confidence that Red Bull will continue to close the remaining performance gap to the very front of the grid, building on the progress made since the start of the new regulation era. A major aerodynamic upgrade to the RB‑22 at the Austrian Grand Prix three races ago sparked a noticeable upswing. Since then, Verstappen has stood on the podium in two of the last three races, despite a frustrating spin at Silverstone caused by a rear‑wing failure.
Hadjar, the rookie who joined the team in 2024, impressed by climbing from 21st on the grid to finish sixth in Belgium, marking his sixth consecutive top‑six result. Mekies highlighted the importance of incremental gains: "All we need to do is keep progressing with the car.
We began the season more than a second off the pace, which was expected given the late title push last year and the challenges of the new power unit. Now we’re talking about shaving off the last two or three tenths, which is where the real battle lies." He explained that when a team is a full second behind, frustration builds among both drivers and engineers. "Max feels that frustration, and we all know it’s not the position we want to accept.
The only way to close that gap is to extract those final tenths, and that’s the focus for everyone at Red Bull." The team has also undergone a period of transition, with several key personnel from its recent championship successes departing over the past two years. Notably, Verstappen’s race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is set to join McLaren by 2028.
Despite these changes, Mekies insisted that the core objective remains unchanged: winning. "Red Bull Racing has one goal – to win – and that aligns perfectly with Max’s ambition. It’s not about proving we can win; we’re already winning.
The same group that engineered the remarkable turnaround last year is still here, and they have already clawed back nearly a second from our rivals. Now we’re in the hardcore phase, fighting for those last few tenths, the hardest part to achieve.
The answer is to keep working as a united team, and that will deliver the best results." Looking ahead, the Hungarian Grand Prix in Budapest will showcase the next chapter of this rivalry. All sessions will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and fans can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract. While the summer break looms, the pressure on Red Bull to maintain its upward trajectory intensifies, especially as other manufacturers continue to develop their own upgrades. In summary, Mekies confirmed that Red Bull is indeed fielding interest from several capable drivers, but the team’s priority is clear: refine the RB‑22, retain Max Verstappen, and nurture the partnership with rising star Isack Hadjar.
The ultimate aim is to close the minute performance gaps that separate them from absolute dominance, ensuring that the Red Bull‑Verstappen combination remains the benchmark in Formula 1 for years to come.