Despite having a contract that runs until the end of 2028, Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future has once again become one of the main talking points in the paddock in recent months.

Now that the regulation changes for 2027 and 2028 have been approved, Verstappen appears set to remain in F1 for longer, although the question remains with which team.

During the Spielberg race weekend, reports of “informal talks” with McLaren surfaced, although Verstappen said in his Dutch media session that he does not want to waste much energy on all the speculation.

“It doesn’t do anything for me and I don’t pay any attention to it,” he said. “These days it’s all very easy. With AI, you can Photoshop anything you want.”

Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen has repeatedly stated that the intention is to remain loyal to Red Bull, although he also told the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf that Verstappen “was not born to race in the midfield”.

With Verstappen currently seventh in the championship, that is to some extent the reality, meaning the sporting picture needs to improve. Verstappen adds that everyone within Red Bull is aware of that.

Max Verstappen crashed out of qualifying at the Red Bull Ring

Photo by: Clive Rose / Formula 1 via Getty Images

When asked whether he has certain targets in mind for the remainder of the season or specific things he wants to see from Red Bull in order to stay, he replied that those discussions have already taken place behind closed doors.

“They know, but I don’t need to talk too much about it.”

What more can Red Bull do under the budget cap?

The upgrade package in Austria is important in that respect. During Thursday’s media day in Spielberg, Verstappen even described it as “crucial” for the team to take a step forward.

After qualifying, he said his first impressions were cautiously positive, although further fine-tuning of the new parts is still required.

“Most of the upgrades worked well. There are a few things we still need to look at to see whether they can be improved. Overall, I think it was a bit better, although this is obviously a very short lap. That naturally means that the gaps are a bit smaller.

“We’re still behind, though, so we have to wait for the coming races to see what it looks like there.”

Laurent Mekies admits Red Bull is still learning about its upgrades

Photo by: Erik Junius

Team principal Laurent Mekies and technical director Pierre Wache have both said that Red Bull is still learning about the upgrade package, which also explains the complicated search for an acceptable car balance on Friday.

Everyone agrees on one thing: the Austria package alone is not enough; several more steps are required.

After a major package in Miami and another one in Spielberg, however, the question is how much more Red Bull can still do under the budget cap.

“There are still more things coming. There’s still plenty that can be done. Otherwise they’ll just have to spend less on catering,” Verstappen joked, referring to Red Bull’s budget cap breach over the 2021 F1 season.

Two months as a Buddhist in Tibet

Aside from outright performance – which is important for his future decision – Verstappen also believes he has suffered more than his fair share of bad luck this year.

In Australia, he crashed in qualifying in a way he could not explain. In Monaco, a power unit issue caused a retirement, while Red Bull has now admitted that a technical problem was responsible for his qualifying crash in Austria.

“Crazy things have been happening all year. That’s nothing new for me.”

“I think at the end of the year I’m going to Tibet. I’ll spend two months there to fully relax like a Buddhist,” the four-time world champion joked.

“Everything is incredibly complicated this year with so many different things. You leave the pits and the car stops, things like that. Most of the time I just have to count to 10, or in fact to 100.”

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– The Autosport.com Team