Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, revealed that the outfit is already fielding inquiries from several "good drivers" who are curious about potential openings in the near future. Despite these external approaches, Mekies stressed that the team remains focused on closing the performance gap that still exists, ensuring that Max Verstappen continues to have the machinery required to dominate the sport. As the Formula 1 calendar heads toward its last event before the summer hiatus—the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring—questions about Verstappen's long‑term future with Red Bull have resurfaced.
Although his contract officially runs through the close of the 2028 season, it contains performance‑related clauses that could allow him to exit at the end of the current year. Reports suggest that the Dutch champion has until October to trigger a break clause if he wishes to pursue other options. Last month, rumors circulated that Verstappen's management had opened talks with McLaren.
McLaren boss Zak Brown quickly clarified that his team already has a settled driver line‑up consisting of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, effectively shutting down speculation about a possible move. Meanwhile, the driver rosters at Mercedes and Ferrari are also locked in, meaning that, should Verstappen decide to stay in Formula 1 but leave Red Bull, his immediate alternatives appear limited until at least 2027. In an interview with Sky Sports F1 at the Belgian Grand Prix, Mekies was asked whether Red Bull itself had been approached by other drivers interested in a seat.
"It works both ways," he replied. "It's perfectly natural. Max gets calls from everyone because he is widely regarded as the best driver on the grid, and likewise, a top‑tier team like ours receives interest from many talented drivers.
That's just part of the business." When pressed about whether these inquiries might distract the team, Mekies was unequivocal: "No, it's not a distraction. Our primary focus is to extract the maximum performance from the car and keep the world’s top driver with us.
At the same time, we see a huge development curve in Isack Hadjar, who is progressing nicely alongside Max. That combination is exactly what we want to preserve." Mekies expressed confidence that Red Bull will continue to shrink the remaining time deficit to the front of the pack, building on the progress made since the introduction of the new technical regulations.
A significant upgrade to the RB22 at the Austrian Grand Prix three races ago marked a turning point. Since then, Verstappen has secured podium finishes in two of the last three events, although he suffered a setback at Silverstone when a rear‑wing failure forced him to spin out late in the race. Hadjar, the French rookie, impressed in Belgium by climbing from 21st on the grid to finish sixth, extending his streak of top‑six results to six consecutive races. "All we need to do is keep improving the car," Mekies emphasized.
"We started the season more than a second off the pace, which was expected given the delayed title push last year and the challenges posed by the new power unit." He continued, "We were on the back foot early on, but the team has made huge strides. We moved from being over a second slower to now being within two or three tenths of the leading times. When you're a full second behind, both the drivers and the team get frustrated.
Max certainly feels that frustration, and we all know that's not the position we want to be in. The goal now is to claw back those final tenths, and that's where everyone's attention is focused." The Red Bull operation has undergone a period of transition over the past two years, with several key figures from previous championship campaigns departing.
Additionally, Verstappen's long‑time race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase is set to join McLaren by 2028, adding another layer of change. When asked how this turnover aligns with the ambition to retain Verstappen, Mekies offered a straightforward answer: "At the end of the day, it's all about speed. Red Bull Racing has one objective: to win, and that aligns perfectly with Max's own goal." He added, "It's not about proving we can win; we are already winning. The same core group that orchestrated the remarkable comeback last year is still here.
They managed to shave nearly a second off our rivals despite a late development push, and they didn't wait for us to catch up in the early races. Now we are entering the hard part – extracting the last few tenths, which is the toughest margin to gain. Our job is to keep working together as a united team, and that's how we will deliver the best results." Looking ahead, the Hungarian Grand Prix will be the next showcase for Red Bull's progress. Every session will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, and fans can stream the coverage via NOW without a long‑term contract.
As the team heads to Budapest, the focus remains clear: continue the development trajectory, keep the car competitive, and ensure that the partnership between Max Verstappen and Red Bull stays strong for the foreseeable future.