May 11 (GMM) Max Verstappen remains fully committed to Red Bull despite intensifying speculation about his future, according to team boss Laurent Mekies.
Speaking to AFP during the Grand Prix De France Historique at Paul Ricard, Mekies dismissed the growing rumours linking Verstappen with Mercedes, Aston Martin or even a shock exit from Formula 1.
“Max is at the heart of the project,” the Frenchman insisted.
“He is with us on all subjects. He is involved in all our strategic decisions for the future. He remains with us no matter what happens.”
Mekies acknowledged Verstappen’s frustrations earlier this season, particularly after Red Bull’s poor start to the new and highly controversial regulations.
“Verstappen was just as frustrated as we were by the lack of performance of the car in the first three Grands Prix and by the initial complexity of the 2026 regulations. He made that quite clear,” said the Frenchman.
But Mekies said the situation is already improving.
“We just celebrated Max’s 10 years at Red Bull Racing. As long as we manage, as the team has done year after year, to give him a fast car, you will see Max smile.”
“The rest is part of the usual noise in Formula 1 and it changes depending on whether it’s a good or bad weekend.”
The Verstappen speculation comes amid growing focus on his expanding GT and endurance racing activities away from Formula 1. This weekend, the Dutchman will make his Nurburgring 24 Hours debut in a Red Bull-branded Mercedes-AMG GT3.
That has created an awkward situation for Red Bull’s Formula 1 engine partner, Ford.
Ford Racing boss Mark Rushbrook admitted the company would rather Verstappen race Ford machinery instead. “Obviously, we prefer our Ford drivers to stay with Ford,” Rushbrook said at the WEC 6-hour race at Spa.
“We understand why he did it – we love his passion, his personality, whether in sim racing or elsewhere.
“It makes him better because it’s the right program for him right now, but of course, we’d love to see him in a Ford.”
He said Ford has already begun discussing future endurance projects with Verstappen, including a possible Le Mans appearance once the manufacturer returns to the Hypercar class.
“We’ve been having discussions with him for over three years,” Rushbrook revealed.
“It’s just a matter of finding the right opportunity, and I think things can fall into place. He seems motivated and interested.”
He continued: “We’d love to see it. But for that to happen, a lot would have to fall into place. It would be incredibly exciting, of course, for us and for motorsport.”
Rushbrook pointed out that Verstappen recently tested a Ford Mustang GTD.
“Max is an incredible driver. We love working together in Formula 1 and we recently gave him the opportunity to drive a Mustang GTD at Grand Sambuc,” he said.
“We’ve already had several projects with him.”