Why Max Verstappen did not discuss Red Bull wanting to extend his contract in meeting with top brass

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Max Verstappen met with Red Bull’s owners before heading to the 2026 F1 Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, but he did not discuss his future during their meeting in Austria.

The 28-year-old has bosses at Red Bull on alert after frequently threatening to retire from F1 at the end of the 2026 season due to his hatred of the new engine regulations. Yet while the FIA has confirmed tweaks to the power unit formula for 2027, he will not commit to staying.

Verstappen is publicly and privately keeping his options open for 2027, as it is very likely that the Dutchman will gain the right to trigger a release clause in his contract through 2028. It is believed that Verstappen only has to rank outside the top two in the standings this summer.

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Max Verstappen only spoke to Red Bull about the 2026 F1 season during their meeting in Austria

Verstappen will have from August to October to activate his release clause if he decides that now would be the right time to leave Red Bull, where he is set to be under contract through 2028. Red Bull would also like to give Verstappen a new contract that locks him in for longer.

READ MORE: The best moments of Oscar Piastri’s career in Formula 1

That is according to De Telegraaf, which now reports that Red Bull ‘want nothing more’ than for Verstappen to publicly commit to them for 2027 and sign up for longer. But Verstappen’s talks with Red Bull’s Austrian and Thai owners this Wednesday did not include his F1 future.

Verstappen and his manager Raymond Vermeulen flew into Salzburg to meet with Red Bull chiefs from the Austrian side, in Mark Mateschitz, and Thai side, in Chalerm Yoovidhya. But ‘insiders’ insist the meeting was arranged ‘for some time’ only to review the 2026 F1 season.

So, while Verstappen’s intention has ‘always’ been to stay at Red Bull in 2027, he still refuses to go on the record that he will race for the team next year. Nor did Verstappen tell Red Bull during Wednesday’s meeting in Austria that he is committed to racing for the team in 2027.

The changes to the F1 engine regulations that the FIA has announced for 2027 have pleased Verstappen, with an initial move to a 58-42 split favouring the ICE before using a 60-40 split in 2028. However, with the exit door ajar, Red Bull still must wait for Verstappen to commit.

Verstappen shared, via De Telegraaf: “Of course, I had hoped that we would already get next year what is now going to happen in 2028. But I also understand that politics is played in this sport. In any case, we are heading in the right direction. That is a good thing.”

Given that Verstappen is regularly threatening to leave F1 if the exit clause in his contract at Red Bull does become available to him, the Milton Keynes squad are said to be studying the driver market for a possible replacement and have McLaren star Oscar Piastri on their radar.

It has been said that Red Bull are interested in Piastri replacing Verstappen next season as a release clause is even present in the Australian’s contract that might let him leave McLaren. The 25-year-old signed a new deal at McLaren in March 2025 that tied him in through 2028.

But, similar to Verstappen’s clause, Piastri’s exit clause is tied to the drivers’ championship, and he would need to be outside the top five in the standings come the summer break this August. With five rounds until the summer break, Piastri is in an uneasy P5 in the standings.