Mekies downplays talk of Verstappen leaving amid rumours

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Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies has dismissed suggestions that he will have to change his driver line-up for next season, stating that Max Verstappen "is telling us he's happy at Red Bull". The Formula 1 driver market 'silly season' stirred into motion during the Canadian Grand Prix weekend, with suggestions in the media that Red Bull would possibly look to bring Oscar Piastri onboard should Verstappen leave the team at the end of the season. Speaking in the Teams' press conference on Friday, Mekies stated he was happy with both Verstappen and Isack Hadjar for the foreseeable future. "We have a very, very strong driver line-up, and the driver choice is not a question that we are asking ourselves right now," said Mekies. "We have Max, nobody needs to present Max. He is pulling us up through a fairly complicated start of the season. Isack is doing a very, very good job. He has been dealing extremely well with a complicated car in the first three races, being very close to Max. "He had a bit of a more difficult weekend in Miami, but we can see here straight away he’s been in a good rhythm this morning. As far as we are concerned, we are super happy with the two guys behind the wheels." Verstappen has claimed four Drivers' titles since joining Red Bull in 2016, winning on his debut in the Spanish Grand Prix, and becoming the team's most successful driver in its 20-year history. Speculation has continued to grow about Verstappen leaving, though, as Red Bull have struggled to match the likes of Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari with the new-for-2026 regulations. It was also announced earlier this year that Verstappen's long-time race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, would leave Red Bull and join McLaren for 2028. While Verstappen stated it would be "stupid to stand in his way", the break-up of their relationship has led many to believe that Verstappen could look to move to McLaren and continue the partnership. "I’m not concerned with Max following GP. We always have this joke. We are not going to ask Max every week if he’s going to stay," said Mekies. "Max is telling us he’s happy at Red Bull. He is involved in every strategic decision we are making. He is at the heart of the project. He is pushing with us and we both want the same thing: getting back to a more competitive package. And he is central to that." F1FacebookXInstagramYouTube© 2003-2026 Formula One World Championship Limited