Verstappen without smiles
In these first three races of 2026 it is quite difficult to observe a smile from Max Verstappen: it is now public knowledge that Dutch is not having fun with the new regulation, so much so as to evaluate the sensational hypothesis of withdraw.
Max’s words are neither a joke nor a phrase spoken out of frustration, but the fruit of an articulated thought that has been maturing for a few weeks. But From Red Bull there seems to be a certain desire to downplay things the reflections of your pilot.
Possible withdrawal Max, Mekies downplays
Laurent MekiesRed Bull team principal, interviewed on the sidelines of the Japanese Grand Prix, commented on his driver’s words as follows: “We are focusing on our competitiveness. We are not talking about other issues. We still have a lot of work to do and I’m sure Max will be a happier Max when we give him a fast car. As soon as we give him a car with which he can test himself and make a difference, Max will be happier too. At the moment only 1% of our conversations are about his motivation.”, underlined the French manager.
Mekies, in statements reported by RacingNews365he then added: “Regarding the rules, there are positives and negatives. As a sport, together with the other teams we will meet during the break to understand what changes we can make to improve the situation“, he concluded diplomatically.
