“made clear” he wants to stay with the team, following reports
linking him with a bombshell move to McLaren. It was reported by
The Daily Mail earlier in the Austrian GP weekend that Red Bull’s
Verstappen could be in line for a swap deal with Oscar Piastri at
McLaren from as early as next year. Verstappen has repeatedly made
clear his frustrations at Red Bull being a midfield runner in 2026,
with the Dutchman currently 101 points behind championship leader
Kimi Antonelli after just seven grands prix. The team has delivered
a huge upgrade to its home race in Austria in a bid to shave off
the final excess weight the RB22 is carrying. Speaking directly to
the rumour of Verstappen to McLaren, Mekies spoke of Red Bull’s
desire to end the speculation around Verstappen’s future by
providing him with what he seeks: a competitive car. “I think the
last time I was in this press conference, I think I said that I’m
not asking Max every week if he’s going to stay,” Mekies told
media, including RacingNews365. “Max has made clear to us that he
wants to continue with the team. It’s equally clear that he needs a
fast car for him to be happy with the team. “You may recall also
that he has been vocal about the progress that we needed to have on
the regulations. We are in a fortunate situation for the sport
where there have been very open sessions between FIA, F1 and the
teams, and we have managed to tweak these regulations for 2027 and
2028. “And I think it’s great not only for Max, but it’s great for
the fast drivers, and it’s great for the sport. So, as I said a few
weeks ago, we are not asking Max every week. “He’s pushing with
us, he’s helping us to find the right development path for the car,
again [on Friday] doing very large test scans through the sessions
to try to turn all the stones as possible. “So, it’s not a topic
for us. The topic for us is to get the car back to where we want it
to be, and as you may, I hope, agree, if the car is back where we
want it to be, there will be no discussion.”