Laurent Mekies, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, has revealed that the outfit is already fielding inquiries from "good drivers" who are curious about possible openings on the squad in the coming years. Despite these external approaches, Mekies remains confident that the team will continue to sharpen its performance to keep Max Verstappen firmly in the seat.
As the Formula 1 calendar heads toward the final race before the summer hiatus – the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring – the question of Verstappen’s long‑term future with Red Bull is still a hot topic. While his contract officially runs through the end of the 2028 season, it contains performance‑related clauses that could allow him to exit at the conclusion of the current year. Reports suggest that Verstappen must give notice by October if he wishes to trigger that break clause. Last month, rumors surfaced that the Dutch champion’s management had opened talks with McLaren.
McLaren boss Zak Brown, however, quickly clarified that his team already has its two drivers locked in – Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri – leaving little room for a surprise addition. Meanwhile, Mercedes and Ferrari have their own driver line‑ups firmly under contract, meaning that, should Verstappen decide to stay in the sport beyond 2027, his options for a short‑term switch are fairly limited.
Given the normalcy of a driver’s representatives scouting potential alternatives, Sky Sports F1 asked Mekies at the Belgian Grand Prix whether Red Bull itself was also fielding interest from other competitors on the grid. Mekies answered without hesitation: "It works both ways. It's completely natural. Max gets calls from everyone because he's the best driver in the world, and equally, if you're a top team, you’ll hear from a lot of good drivers who want to join you.
That's just how the business works." When pressed about whether these enquiries distract the team, Mekies dismissed the notion. "No, it's not a distraction.
Our full focus is on making the car as quick as possible, keeping the best driver in the world, and developing a strong partnership with Isack Hadjar alongside Max. That combination is ideal for us, and we aim to keep it together for as long as possible," he explained. Mekies also expressed optimism that Red Bull will continue to close the remaining performance gap to the very front of the grid. Since the introduction of a major upgrade to the RB‑22 at the Austrian Grand Prix three races ago, Verstappen has stood on the podium in two of the last three events, despite a frustrating spin at Silverstone caused by a rear‑wing failure.
Hadjar, the French rookie, impressed by climbing from 21st on the grid to finish sixth in Belgium, marking his sixth consecutive top‑six finish. "All we need to do is keep progressing with the car," Mekies said. "We started the season more than a second off the pace, which was expected given the late‑season title push last year and the challenges presented by the new power‑unit regulations.
Since then we have trimmed that deficit dramatically – we are now talking about a few tenths rather than a full second." He added that when a team is a second slower, both the drivers and the engineers feel frustration, and that Red Bull is determined to erase even the smallest margin. "The goal is to shave off those last two or three tenths. That's where everyone’s focus lies," Mekies emphasized. The Red Bull organization has undergone a notable turnover in recent years, with several key figures from its previous championship eras departing.
Additionally, Verstappen’s long‑time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, is set to join McLaren by 2028. Despite these changes, Mekies insists the core mission remains simple: speed and victory. "Red Bull Racing has one objective – to win – and that aligns perfectly with Max’s own goal," he said. "It’s not about proving we can win; we’re already winning.
The same group that orchestrated the remarkable turnaround last season is still here, and they have already reclaimed nearly a second of lost time. We are now in the hard part of the battle, chasing the final tenths, which are the toughest to extract.
The answer is to keep working together as a united team, and that will deliver the best results." Looking ahead, the Hungarian Grand Prix will see every session broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available through NOW without a long‑term contract. As the summer break looms, Red Bull will aim to fine‑tune the RB‑22, solidify its driver lineup, and continue the chase for those elusive final tenths that could turn a strong season into an outright championship triumph.