Red Bull Racing team director Laurent Mekies stated on Saturday that four-time world champion Max Verstappen remains “at the heart of the project,” dismissing persistent rumors of the Dutch driver’s potential departure from the Formula 1 squad.
“Max is at the core of everything we do. He is involved in all strategic decisions for the future,” Mekies told AFP during the Historic French Grand Prix at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet, southern France. The event featured three days of racing with classic and current F1 legends driving cars designed between 1970 and 2000.
Verstappen won four consecutive world titles with Red Bull from 2021 to 2024, but lost his crown last season and has faced a difficult start to the 2026 campaign. He has been particularly frustrated with the new technical regulations requiring engines that are 50% electric and 50% thermal, even threatening to leave the sport.
At the most recent Grand Prix in Miami last weekend, adjustments were made to the electrical energy system, allowing him to finish fifth.
“Max is just as frustrated as we are with the car’s lack of performance in the first three races and the initial complexity of the 2026 rules,” Mekies acknowledged. “But we recently celebrated ten years of Max with Oracle Red Bull Racing. As long as we can give him a fast car—as we have done for years—you will see Max smiling.”
The British-based team, owned by Austrian and Thai interests through Red Bull, has seen Verstappen linked with moves elsewhere, but Mekies dismissed the speculation. “The rest is just the usual noise in Formula 1, which changes depending on a good or bad weekend,” he concluded.