F1 | Red Bull, Laurent Mekies speaks out: Max Verstappen aware of the risks ahead. Laurent Mekies admits that staying with Red Bull represents a risk for Max Verstappen.

The Red Bull team principal admits the “risk” taken by Max Verstappen: Laurent Mekies speaks openly about the 2026 Formula 1 season.

Red Bull are eager to convince Max Verstappen to stay, but 2026 already represents a “risk”. This is openly acknowledged by Laurent Mekies, who also clarifies the Dutch driver’s role within the team. With Honda’s departure, now set to become a partner of Aston Martin, the Milton Keynes-based squad has decided to go it alone when it comes to power units. Support from Ford will be crucial, but the Austrian team is starting this new chapter at a disadvantage.

This has been made clear from the very beginning, and Max Verstappen’s manager has reiterated it as well: Max Verstappen wants a calm and winning environment, and anyone hoping to welcome him into their garage in 2027 has been warned. Whether it is Mercedes, Aston Martin, Ferrari or Red Bull itself, the requirement remains the same. After all, the Dutchman could even ask for the moon: as things stand, he is the best driver in the paddock and every one of his demands carries enormous weight.

Laurent Mekies and the entire Red Bull management are well aware of this, and they will be able to rely on Verstappen’s driving skills for at least another season. While the Hasselt-born champion has said he feels relaxed ahead of the debut of the RB22, the team principal is fully conscious of the pressure resting on the shoulders of the entire organisation. Speaking at the Autosport Business Exchange, the French engineer admitted: “With us, he is taking a risk.”

Verstappen has a central role at Red Bull

“One of Max’s many incredible qualities is that he doesn’t stay on the outside of the project, watching what we do and judging it,” explained Laurent Mekies. “He is fully inside the project. With us, he is taking a huge risk, but he is completely aware of it. He knows very well that when you take this kind of risk, it is possible to make mistakes.”

“He understands the scale of the challenge; he lives and breathes motorsport more than many of us,” the Red Bull team principal continued. “He is motorsport. Day and night, he is focused on racing. When it’s not Formula 1, it’s GT3; and if it’s not GT3, then it’s sim racing or whatever else comes to his mind.”