Max speaks openly
When Max Verstappen gives an interview to Erik Van Haren of De Telegraaf, the conversation is never trivial, and this time was no exception. The Dutch champion said he intends to stay at Red Bull but left a small opening for a possible departure if the season takes a very negative turn. So, at the moment, no negotiations are ongoing, but the journalist’s question about Mercedes and Toto Wolff doesn’t seem entirely random…
“If you really had the chance to choose based purely on performance, you’d probably change teams almost every season. But obviously, that’s not possible,” Verstappen noted, getting into the heart of the matter: “I think I have always thought about my future and I’m thinking about it now too. Even in the best years, it was like that. But at the moment, I’d say I’m fairly calm.”
When asked if he will be a Red Bull driver in 2026, Max’s answer was: “I’ve always told the team that this is my intention. Unless things go really weird. But leaving right now is not my intention.”
Van Haren pressed him, noting that this wasn’t an outright yes. Verstappen did not deny it: “I want to see how the rest of the season goes, or at least part of it. I hope the team can make big progress. The next races will be very important also for my future. I’m not just talking about next year, but in general. I think everyone in the team realizes that.”
In short, the mood at Red Bull feels like a turning point. And the team hopes it will be a positive one, with upgrades planned for the RB21. Regarding the mention of Toto Wolff and Mercedes, Max didn’t hold back: “Last year’s conversation was the first after 2021. We talked again about what happened and also about future prospects. For me, it’s not just about F1. There is much more beyond the F1 project, and not all teams can offer that.”
The only certainty concerns the possibility of a sabbatical, which he strongly denied: “That’s not true at all. No doubt about it. My intention is to continue in F1 at least until 2028.” That means at least until the end of his current contract and at age 31.
McLaren far ahead
Talking about the technical side, Verstappen — like much of the paddock — clearly understands McLaren’s advantage: “It’s up to us to find solutions as quickly as possible, and I’m not talking about one or two upgrades. In qualifying on a single lap we are there, but in the race we see how our tyres overheat much more and much faster. So McLaren is very fast, too fast.”
And this ‘magic’ of the papaya cars managing tyre temperatures could also be important looking towards 2026: “No one knows for sure who will have the best cards, but if McLaren keeps such an advantage on tyres, it will be the same next year.”
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