Red Bull CEO dismisses ‘nonsense’ claim about what Max Verstappen does behind the scenes

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Max Verstappen has been Red Bull’s golden talent since he joined the team in 2016 and has carried them on his back for the past two years.

The Dutchman has been the class of the field since winning his first F1 title in 2021. He has dominated the ground-effect era, winning four consecutive titles between 2021 and 2024.

Verstappen beat Lando Norris to the championship last year by 63 points, even if he did not have the fastest car on the grid come the midway point. In 2025, his car regressed further, with podiums becoming irregular in the first half of the season.

The state of the RB21 frustrated the four-time champion, especially when his teammates, Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda, struggled to get out of Q1. It led to speculation that Verstappen could leave Red Bull for Mercedes, forcing the former to take action.

After sacking Christian Horner, new team principal Laurent Mekies continued to develop the RB21 to give Verstappen the chance to win the title. He finished just two points behind Norris in 2025, having been 104 points off the championship lead at his home race in Zandvoort.

Oliver Mintzlaff dismisses ‘nonsense’ claim about Max Verstappen being the ‘boss’ at Red Bull

The 28-year-old’s anger towards the RB21 earlier in the year may have sparked action from Mekies and the technical department. The team principal gave Verstappen more freedom behind the scenes in terms of feedback and upgrades,

But Red Bull CEO Oliver Mintzlaff has dismissed claims that he is the ‘boss’ of the team and has complete freedom. Nevertheless, he hopes that Verstappen will stay with the team in another role after his F1 career ends.

He told De Telegraaf: “Yes, that’s nonsense. I can tell you that all agreements are clear and he has never made a single request to me. The same applies to his manager and father.

“Max knows what he wants and that’s fine, because he’s the best driver in the world. But there’s only one boss here. Max is a great guy, not a diva.

“Again, I’m sure he’ll stay with us forever. If he ever stops racing – I hope not too soon – I hope he’ll stay with us in another role.

“His knowledge and feel for a car are so special, and he can discuss things with his engineers at a very high level. That makes him unique.”

READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen’s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend

Will Max Verstappen leave Red Bull in 2026?

Red Bull are relying on Verstappen more than ever before heading into 2026. The team would have finished P9 in the standings if it were not for his points haul.

With the new regulation changes, Red Bull will hope that their power unit will be competitive in 2026. However, Bernie Collins thinks Verstappen will ‘want to’ leave if it does not give him the tools to win races.

The Dutchman has made it clear that he will assess his options in 2026 after seeing what the pecking order looks like. He has even threatened to leave F1 altogether if he does not like the regulation changes.

Mintzlaff is adamant that Verstappen will ‘remain loyal’ to Red Bull, provided that they can give him a winning car. He believes that he will end his career in Milton Keynes.