Verstappen-McLaren, Max does not deny it: “If there is any news you will hear from me.” And he doesn’t ‘give in’ the exit clause

I neither confirm nor deny At the Silverstone media day the stone guest is the market, with the incessant rumors about the possible transfers of the drivers for the 2027 season which, as always happens, become even more insistent with the advent of summer. He is always the center of attention, Max Verstappen, who must have gotten used to being paired with a different team every year. In reality, however, he is the same four-time world champion who, with his way of doing things, always seems to keep a glimmer of hope open towards a possible change of jersey ahead of the end of his contract, which will expire at the end of 2028. Even today, in fact, the Dutch phenomenon replied to those who asked him for a comment on the rumors that he is in negotiations to join McLaren, without denying this indiscretion. “I have no intention of meddling in this matter – declared Verstappen – I have already said before what I wanted to say. If something new happens or if there are changes, you will hear it from me and not through rumors or from someone else who writes about it, right?”. Not exactly a declaration of undying loyalty to Red Bull. But Verstappen is also letting his actions speak. It is known that there is an exit clause from the contract that Verstappen could activate by September and which would allow him to free himself from Red Bull at the end of the season if at the time of the summer break the Dutchman was not in the top-2 or top-3 (depending on interpretations) of the Drivers’ standings. The clause remains active We had written to you in recent days that Red Bull was interested in eliminating this clause by ‘buying’ it from Verstappen himself for millions. A sort of ‘ransom’ to ensure the Dutch superstar’s stay in the team until the end of 2028. According to what the F1-Insider.com website reported, however, Verstappen would have declined an offer from Red Bull of eight million dollars and would have chosen to keep the exit clause. The Dutchman’s intention would therefore be clear: wait until mid-season, evaluate the level of progress made by Red Bull, and then decide whether to continue to trust his current team or explore the possibility of a sensational transfer. At that point, McLaren, which has already secured Verstappen’s current race engineer, Giampiero Lambiase, for 2028, and is full of figures who have already worked with the Dutchman at Red Bull, would be the first choice. Meanwhile, for Hasselt’s #3, think about the present: “I simply focus on my work with the team. We’re trying to follow the path to get back to the top and it’s really nice to see it. I spent a really positive weekend in Austria – said Verstappen – and starting from there, now we’re simply trying to improve further. I know, obviously, that it can be quite difficult and that the competition is fierce, but we’re just here to try to go faster.” And making the RB22 ever faster seems to be the only weapon Red Bull has left to convince Verstappen not to look around too much.

Automobile Magazine – Formula1 English, News

2026-07-02 15:33:00