Red Bull F1 boss reveals plan to keep Max Verstappen happy

Red Bull

Red Bull F1 boss reveals plan to keep Max Verstappen happy

Max Verstappen is reportedly 'seriously considering' F1 retirement

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 1 April 2026 09:57

Red Bull F1 team principal Laurent Mekies has revealed his plan to keep Max Verstappen happy amid rumours he could leave the sport entirely.

Verstappen and Red Bull could only manage a best finish of eighth place at the Japanese Grand Prix, after the Dutchman was knocked out in Q2 on the Saturday.

Most concerningly of all, the Red Bull finished behind Pierre Gasly who was able to fend off his former team-mate, with the Alpine enjoying higher top speed on the straights.

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While Red Bull's pace is clearly not up to scratch, Verstappen is more concerned with way he is going racing and in his post-race media claimed the new generation of cars were 'anti-racing'.

Reports from the Dutch media also state that Verstappen is 'seriously considering' F1 retirement; but his team boss has different ideas and remains confident they can keep their star driver happy.

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What Red Bull have to do to keep Verstappen

Speaking to media in Japan, Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said: "We certainly focus on the competitive picture, that's what we do."

"We are having zero discussions about the other aspects, so we have a lot of work to do.

"I am sure that by the time we give Max a faster car, he will be a much happier Max, and by the time we give him a car he can push with and make a difference, he will also be a happier Max. Honestly, that's 100 per cent of our discussions right now.

"With the regulations, they are coming with some good aspects and some tricky aspects, and as a sport, with the other teams, we will meet in the break to see how we can tweak them to make things better."

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen Laurent Mekies