Max Verstappen spotted with Red Bull chiefs days after Monaco Grand Prix disaster

Four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen has been snapped leaving what appeared to be a meeting with his manager Raymond Vermeulen and senior Red Bull figures following his second DNF of the 2026 campaign.

At the Monaco Grand Prix last time out, Verstappen seemed to rediscover some form or had at least found an effective way to grapple with his tricky 2026 machinery.

The Dutchman managed to qualify second ahead of Sunday's race, teasing the potential to fight for his first race win of the new regulations era as he joined championship leader Kimi Antonelli on the front row.

Come lights out however, and it was a completely different story to Saturday's qualifying. The 28-year-old stalled almost instantly on the grid and after eventually getting his RB22 off the line for good, he was called into the pits to retire due to an engine-related issue.

After a brief chat with media, Verstappen confirmed he was heading straight home and wouldn't be staying to watch the race from the pitwall, leaving him plenty of time to rethink his future - his Red Bull contract currently runs until the end of 2028.

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Could Verstappen leave Red Bull?

Ahead of the Monaco GP weekend it emerged that Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff was once again believed to be keeping his eye on Verstappen given George Russell's drop in form.

Take a P13 finish for Russell in the principality and pair it with a DNF for Verstappen, and you might just get a team boss who wants to find a more reliable replacement and a driver who is happy to jump ship if Red Bull cannot provide him with a championship-challenging car.

Just like last year when Wolff and Verstappen flirted with the idea of an F1 partnership, the Dutchman is said to have performance clauses in his Red Bull contract which could allow him to leave the Milton Keynes-based squad if he isn't in the top two of the drivers' championship by the time the summer break rolls around.

After his DNF in Monaco Verstappen sits way down in seventh and Red Bull have just 72 points to their name (a figure which is dwarfed by the Silver Arrows' points haul of 244).

Rumours of Verstappen's interest in leaving the energy drink giants haven't been helped by a video circulating on social media after the race weekend in Monaco.

In the clip, the 71-time grand prix winner appeared to be leaving a meeting with his manager, Red Bull GmbH boss Oliver Mintzlaff and Mark Mateschitz (son of the late Dietrich Mateschitz), with Red Bull's Thai owner Chalerm Yoovidhya also reported to have been at the meeting in Austria.

Verstappen and his close family friend and manager Vermeulen could be seen saying their goodbyes, both evidently wearing a smile before boarding the F1 star's impressive private jet. So perhaps the meeting merely cemented Verstappen's faith in the Red Bull project?

Max today after the meeting with Dietrich Mateschitz son, Mark and Oliver mintzlaff and the Thai owner of Red Bull and Raymond in Austria

Via VER会遇到哥斯拉吗 pic.twitter.com/XzfVlKjcI2

— Ana ? (@maxvcalloway) June 10, 2026

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Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

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