Max Verstappen’s F1 boss accepts tough Red Bull reality ahead of Austrian Gra… read more 👇 full details in the comments sectionÂ
Laurent Mekies, the Red Bull team principal and boss of four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen, has revealed the team’s latest upgrades will not be enough to see them challenging for race victories.
Red Bull plan on bringing an upgrade package to Austria next weekend for the eighth round of the season, with the hopes that it will allow them to see improved form compared to their disappointing start to the campaign.Red Bull are currently sat down in fourth in the constructors’ championship, while Verstappen is seventh in the drivers’ standings, having failed to achieve a single race win so far this year
The Dutchman’s future at the team has been called into question, especially because of his inability to regularly challenge for race victories amid the 2026 regulation changes.Following the Barcelona GP last time out, reports in German media suggested the exit clause in Verstappen’s contract would allow him to leave the team if he is not in the top two of the drivers’ cham
The Dutchman’s future at the team has been called into question, especially because of his inability to regularly challenge for race victories amid the 2026 regulation changes.Following the Barcelona GP last time out, reports in German media suggested the exit clause in Verstappen’s contract would allow him to leave the team if he is not in the top two of the drivers’
That date comes immediately after the Austrian GP, meaning it is now impossible for him to be in the top two by that date, with second-place Lewis Hamilton 60 points ahead of the four-time champion.
If Verstappen does choose to activate his exit clause and Red Bull fail to agree on whether to buy it out or not, the Dutchman would be able to look for a new team and announce his departure ahead of the 2027 season, making it crucial for Red Bull to start proving to their star driver that they are on an upwards trajectory.
But Mekies’ brutally honest quotes in Barcelona suggest that the reality of their position in the F1 2026 pecking order is really starting to hit home.READ MORE: Red Bull split in bid to block Max Verstappen F1 exit clause Mekies trying all he can to keep Verstappen “The picture of the season is these performance variations based on who is bringing an upgrade,” Mekies told media. “Ferrari made a big step forward.