Laurent Mekies will be on the phone to ‘phenomenal’ F1 driver if Max Verstappen leaves Red Bull

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The 2026 Formula 1 season has the potential to completely mix up the grid, and more eyes are on Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen than any other team.

Max Verstappen came within two points of winning a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship this year, but was pipped at the post by Lando Norris.

He finished the campaign with 10 consecutive podium finishes, and goes into next season as one of the favourites despite the uncertainty surrounding the upcoming rule changes.

The 2026 regulations could see any of the 11 teams in the paddock come out on top, as it only takes an innovation like Brawn GP’s double diffuser in 2009 to suddenly have an edge over the rest of the competition.

Red Bull go into the campaign with a new power unit supplier in Ford, and for the first time, Christian Horner hasn’t overseen their work behind the scenes, going into a new set of regulations.

Verstappen doesn’t plan on staying in Formula 1 forever, and if he feels he needs to leave the team to achieve his goals before moving on, then new team principal Laurent Mekies will need a replacement.

Journalist Tom Clarkson was reflecting on this scenario after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, and believes that Ferrari star Charles Leclerc would be at the top of Red Bull’s list if the four-time world champion did move on.

READ MORE: All you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Laurent Mekies ‘will be on the telephone to Charles Leclerc’ if Max Verstappen leaves Red Bull

Clarkson was speaking to Jolyon Palmer and James Hinchcliffe on the F1 Nation Podcast and discussing their drivers of the day.

Palmer and Hinchcliffe chose Verstappen and Norris, and he went on to say: “I agree with both of you, incredibly strong performances.

“But I’m actually going to give it to Charles Leclerc. I love what that guy does in that Ferrari.

“He’s just been phenomenal. Just look at the difference between him and Lewis Hamilton at the moment, it’s extraordinary.

“If Max leaves, I think Laurent Mekies will be on the telephone to Charles Leclerc very quickly.

“Of course, they worked together, didn’t they, at Ferrari back in the day. But Charles has been excellent, he drags one lap out of that car and then quite what they did overnight between qualifying and the race, how that car came alive in that 58 lap Grand Prix and Charles maximised it, so well done to him.”

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Charles Leclerc admits the 2026 Formula 1 season is ‘now or never’ for Ferrari

Leclerc has had a difficult campaign at Ferrari this year, but still has seven podiums to show for it in 2025, and opened up a considerable gap in the standings over new teammate Lewis Hamilton.

If he can continue that dominance over the seven-time world champion heading into 2026, then he’ll be at the top of many teams’ shortlists if they need a new driver and he’s not satisfied with the work being done at Maranello.

Leclerc has previously been linked with Red Bull, and has now completed more seasons for Ferrari without a victory than any other driver, but this is a far more worrying statistic for Fred Vasseur than it is for the Monegasque driver.

Speaking to the press after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, he said: “I think during the season, race after race, you keep your head high, you try and not have the disappointment get to you.

“But now that everything is finished, I realised I wanted to forget about this season that has been very disappointing.

“It’s tough, but at the same time, I think the whole team is hugely motivated for next year, because it’s such a big change, a huge opportunity to show what Ferrari is capable of.

“And it’s now or never, so I really hope that we will start this new era on the right foot, because it’s important for the four years after.

“Maybe not in the first three, four races, but by race six, seven, I think we’ll have a good idea of who are the teams that will be dominating for the four years after.”