Red Bull reveal inside joke over potential Max Verstappen F1 exit

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has revealed an inside joke at the team regarding the constant speculation over Max Verstappen's future, insisting the four-time champion is not going anywhere.

Why it matters:

Verstappen's future has been a dominant talking point since pre-season testing in Bahrain, where he criticised the 2026 cars' 50-50 power split and heavy battery management. With Red Bull struggling for consistency early in the season, rumours of a potential exit have only grown louder—including whispers that McLaren's Oscar Piastri could be a replacement.

The details:

• Speaking at the Canadian Grand Prix, Mekies told reporters including RacingNews365: "We have a very strong driver line-up. The driver choice is not a question we are asking ourselves."
• He emphasized Verstappen is "helping us through a fairly complicated start" and is central to the team's push for a more competitive package.
• Mekies dismissed concern that Verstappen would follow race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase to McLaren, who is set to join as chief racing officer by 2028.
• "We always have this joke. We are not going to ask Max every week if he's going to stay," Mekies added, noting Verstappen has told the team he is happy and is involved in every strategic decision.

What's next:

Red Bull's immediate priority is resolving the car's performance issues to give Verstappen a platform to fight for wins. With the championship battle still wide open, the team believes keeping their star driver motivated and engaged is the best way to silence the exit rumours for good.