By JAMES ELLINGWORTH AP Sports Writer
Max Verstappen has left his future in Formula 1 open again ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix and praised his “really good” relationship with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies.
Verstappen has yet to commit to staying with Red Bull for next year after he was linked to McLaren and suggested he’d consider leaving F1.
“I don’t want to go here, say yes, and no, and this and that about my future. I said already many times that if there was something new I would say it myself,” the four-time world champion said Thursday.
‘Open and transparent’ with Mekies
Mekies is marking a year in charge of the team after replacing longtime boss Christian Horner midway through 2025, and Verstappen had warm words for him.
“It’s been really good. I get on very well with Laurent. We speak a lot on track, but also off track,” he said. “I think the relationship that he has also within the team is great.
“Everything for me feels very positive and I think it’s always nice when you can discuss a lot of things with your team boss. So from that sense, yeah, very happy. It’s all very open and transparent.”
After faults with the rotating rear wing pitched Verstappen into the barriers at high speed two weeks running in Austria and Britain, Red Bull is reverting back to an old wing design for Belgium this week.
“It’s quite obvious, no, why? So we’ll go back on the old one and then see whenever the latest or new one is ready again to be used for us,” Verstappen said.
He crashed out of the British Grand Prix and delivered an expletive-laden rant at the car over the radio before branding it “dangerous” to drive.
A history of uncertainty
It’s the third year running that Verstappen has kept his future open, only to recommit to Red Bull halfway through the season. Last year, he didn’t pledge to stay with the team until the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 31.
He has been part of Red Bull’s racing program since childhood and has a contract through 2028, though it includes clauses potentially allowing an earlier exit.
This time, a reported meeting between Verstappen’s management and McLaren fueled the speculation of what would have been a blockbuster move. McLaren has also signed Verstappen’s longtime engineer and confidant GianPiero Lambiase as its “chief racing officer” in future.
However, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown seemed to rule out a move when he said the team’s current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were “not going anywhere.”
It wasn’t even certain Verstappen would stay in F1 after he publicly considered leaving the series earlier this year. Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the reliance on electrical power in the 2026-specification cars, which he says are not fun to drive and promote artificial overtaking.
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