Verstappen and manager McLaren deny everything: “There is nothing right. Will you stay at Red Bull? We don’t have to decide now”

Verstappen, is McLaren there or not? There is no doubt that Zeltweg’s home grand prix weekend will be a major turning point for Red Bull’s season. The team has introduced several updates that it hopes will lead to a positive return to 2026, and Max Verstappen and key executives from the company, namely sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff and team owners Mark Mateschitz and Chalerm Yoovidhya, are expected to be on track. In this scenario, perhaps the rumors spread by the Daily Mail at the Red Bull Ring on Thursday that a “secret” negotiation had begun between Max Verstappen and McLaren were not accidental.
Raymond Vermeulen, the manager of the four-time world champion, denied everything to Bild: “There is nothing true. There have been no negotiations. As I said before, for now we are waiting to see how the car develops in the coming weeks. We want to stay, but with a car capable of winning.” Vermeulen encourages Red Bull Even in his interview with De Telegraaf, Vermeulen showed a similar attitude, swearing loyalty, but also added a “but” that cannot be ignored.
“Our goal is to complete this adventure with Red Bull,” said the Dutch coach, adding: “We just need a package that will allow us to compete for the top positions. We feel at home at Red Bull, but we want to be competitive. Max was not born to be in the middle of the table.” In short, Red Bull is being asked to make a move: “We have a significant update in Austria. We hope it will have a positive impact because it is clear that we need to make progress. Max is seventh in the championship, he and Red Bull should not be there. We want to see where we are and how the development of the car progresses. That means we do not have to say yes or no at the moment. We have agreements and we respect them.” Vermeulen’s reference is to Verstappen’s contract clause that could be triggered during the summer break if the Dutch champion does not finish in the top two places at the world championship.

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-06-27 18:30:00

Automobile Magazine, 2026-06-28 01:44:00, automobilemagazine.com.tr

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