Red Bull must now convince Max Verstappen of their three-point plan to stop him leaving F1

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Max Verstappen is now expected to stay at Red Bull in 2027 after seeing his options to join a rival F1 team disappear, but only if they can convince him that they have a plan.

Four-time drivers’ champion Verstappen has regularly raised doubts about his future for Red Bull beyond this season in recent months. He detests F1’s latest engine regulations, and how poorly Red Bull have adapted to the latest aero and chassis rules has also soured his mood.

Verstappen’s claims have seen his name be linked with an array of teams for 2027, from the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari to more recently McLaren. Yet there appears to be no room at the inn among Red Bull’s main rivals, but Verstappen continues to refuse to commit to them.

Max Verstappen could still leave F1 if Red Bull fail to show him that they can improve

When given the chance to silence the reports that Verstappen could replace Oscar Piastri at McLaren in 2027 during the pre-race press conference at the Belgian Grand Prix, he refused to even debate his future. Instead, Verstappen said “I don’t want to say yes and no, and this and that, about my future,” and that he would be clearer if he had “something new” to say.

READ MORE: The five worst moments of Max Verstappen’s career in Formula 1

The 28-year-old’s stance would appear to keep the door open for him to leave Red Bull, as a release clause in his contract through 2028 is now set to become available. Yet Verstappen’s options for 2027 are understood to be either staying at Red Bull or leaving F1 after this year.

Lawrence Barretto reports for the official F1 website that Verstappen has yet to make up his mind, and that him leaving the grid for ‘an undetermined time’ remains a possibility. He has no pressure to make a decision now, so intends to see whether Red Bull can up their game.

It is likely that Verstappen will stay at Red Bull for at least 2027 as long as they prove to him that they can improve the RB22’s reliability, improve their car’s performance and then have a plan to consistently fight at the front of the field again, after generally lacking consistency.

If you were Max Verstappen, would you stay at Red Bull or move on?

Verstappen has been linked with McLaren, but could also retire or take a sabbatical

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Verstappen has twice made the podium so far this term, with P3 in the Canadian Grand Prix and P2 in the Austrian Grand Prix. But Verstappen spun out of P3 in the British Grand Prix as Red Bull’s Macarena rear wing failed to close quickly enough for the downforce to reattach.

Now, Red Bull have removed their Macarena rear wing at Spa for this weekend’s Belgian GP, as the marginally slower closing speed of the upper flap when it returns from straight mode into corner mode also saw Verstappen crash during qualifying in Austria at the rapid Turn 9.

Red Bull are also still struggling to get on top of the RB22’s inconsistent balance, which has left Verstappen in a position where he can potentially leave the team this year. Verstappen will have from August until October to trigger his release clause, as it is now certain that he will start the 2026 summer break outside of the top two positions in the drivers’ standings.