Mekies insists Max Verstappen ‘fully committed’ amid F1 future speculation
Laurent Mekies insists Max Verstappen is 'fully committed' to F1 2026.
Max Verstappen remains “fully committed” to Red Bull despite growing noise around his F1 future.
Team boss Laurent Mekies insists that Max Verstappen is invested in the team and its recovery from a sluggish start to F1 2026.
Max Verstappen committed as Laurent Mekies outlines Red Bull priority
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Verstappen has been outspoken in his criticism of the F1 2026 regulations while Red Bull’s downturn in form, a brain drain at senior level, and the Dutchman’s own GT racing activities have fuelled speculation he could leave F1.
Mekies has moved to play down those concerns, insisting the four-time world champion’s public reaction is different to how he presents internally.
“The Max we see is a fully committed Max,” the Red Bull team boss told Sky Sports.
“He wants a fast car, and he’s helping the team getting a fast car. He’s bringing all his energy to that.
“He’s passionate about the sport,” he added. “He raised his voice when he felt things needed to be done.
“We have a step forward for the regs in coming for Miami. He is embracing that. Will it be enough?
“We have time to see together if it’s going to be enough or not.”
Key among Verstappen’s criticisms of the F1 2026 regulations is the battery influence.
Energy harvesting proved an overwhelming element of the new season throughout the opening three rounds of the year.
That brought with it unusual driving styles designed to charge the battery rather than attack the racetrack.
Deployment has also proved an issue, with high closing speeds creating safety issues while algorithms have seen drivers overtake when they didn’t intend to.
During the April break, the FIA and a host of stakeholders including the teams, Formula One Management, and the power unit manufacturers have worked to address several areas of concern.
That includes changing harvesting such that qualifying laps can be driven more naturally.
Energy deployment has also been tweaked in an effort to reduce closing speeds in the interest of safety.
For the moment, that remains untested, with the Miami GP the first event to use the new regulations, described by the FIA as a case of evolution versus revolution.
That assessment followed comments from Mercedes boss Toto Wolff who warned that any changes should be made with a scalpel rather than a hammer.
Mercedes has dominated F1 2026 with George Russell and Kimi Antonelli winning all three races thus far.
Wolff’s comments could therefore be seen as acknowledgement of the need for changes on safety grounds, but a reluctance to make significant modifications given his team currently holds the competitive edge.
What impact the revised regulations have on the F1 pecking order remains unknown, though given the comparatively minor adjustments it’s not expected to make a significant difference.
It’s more likely that the racing will be more subdued, with less of the wild battery-dominated overtaking seen in the opening races.
Should that address Verstappen’s concerns over the regulations, Red Bull’s task will be to produce him a more competitive car.
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“We knew we gave to him and to Isack a very difficult car in the first three races,” Mekies confessed.
“We need to give him a car he can consistently push with.
“Then after it doesn’t mean that it will be fast enough for pole positions, but it means he can start to bring his Max effect, and we can start to bolt development onto that car.”
The F1 2026 development race is predicted to be a decisive factor in the latter stages of the year.
New regulations open up new avenues for designers to explore, allowing them to potentially unlock significant gains in the process.
That could transform a team’s season, with Mekies hoping that his squad can fettle the initially underwhelming RB22 into a more competitive shape.
“I have every confidence that, things may not be fixed for Miami, but that the team is going to get to the bottom of what is limiting us in the same way than they have done last year, and that you will see more and more smile on Max’s face.”
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