Jul.10 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s future remaina the biggest talking point in Formula 1 as fresh meetings took place behind the scenes following the Dutchman’s explosive British GP weekend.
According to De Telegraaf journalist Erik van Haren, Verstappen’s father Jos and manager Raymond Vermeulen were spotted in Amsterdam meeting former Red Bull motorsport advisor Dr Helmut Marko.
“What was discussed there is not known,” Van Haren reported.
“Verstappen’s future in Formula 1 is under enormous scrutiny, but even on that front, no clarity yet.”
Verstappen himself also visited Red Bull’s Milton Keynes factory this week following his public criticism of the team after Silverstone.
One indication that the four-time world champion may still expect to be at Red Bull in 2027 is that his management has already launched ticket sales for the “Special Max Verstappen Grandstands” at next year’s Austrian GP, despite the race date not yet being confirmed.
Red Bull, meanwhile, is continuing to investigate the rear wing failures that left Verstappen furious after successive incidents in Austria and Britain.
“We can absolutely see in the data that the wing did not fold completely,” team boss Laurent Mekies said.
“We can only say that it is a different problem than in Austria, but that does not make it better.”
The FIA is also understood to be taking a closer look at Red Bull’s radical rear wing concept following the repeated failures.
At the same time, Red Bull remains locked in discussions with the FIA over the governing body’s ADUO analysis, which currently classifies Red Bull as having the strongest internal combustion engine and therefore prevents further development under the regulations.
“We are still exchanging data with the FIA,” Mekies said.
“We are making progress in the sense that we have been able to exchange about the methods and the possible differences again. We have another meeting outside the race weekend this week, so that we have a chance to study the same data together.”
Mekies also rejected suggestions Verstappen’s concerns about the RB22 are not shared by teammate Isack Hadjar.
“I think Isack sees the same limitations in the balance,” he said.
“So we are not in the situation where one driver says A and the other driver says B. They describe the same problem.
“They only describe it in a different way,” the Frenchman smiled.
Should Verstappen ultimately leave Red Bull, McLaren continues to be linked with the Dutchman, although such a move would depend on Oscar Piastri’s future amid continuing reports the Australian is exploring ways out of his current contract.