Max Verstappen to McLaren: What we know as F1 star set for press conference today

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Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen to McLaren: What we know as F1 star set for press conference today

Verstappen faces a huge career decision

Graham Shaw Consultant Editor

Digital sports specialist running global brands for 30 years

Thursday 16 July 2026 10:57 Updated: 11:09

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As Max Verstappen prepares to face the massed ranks of the F1 media in Belgium later today (Thursday July 16), he is also facing the biggest decision of his career so far.

The 28-year-old Dutchman has won four world titles during a glorious spell with Red Bull which now spans an entire decade. But this is no longer the Red Bull we once knew.

A serious talent drain in Milton Keynes, and the team's struggle to provide Verstappen with a winning car in 2026, means his future is now the biggest topic in the sport.

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The exit clause in a Red Bull contract which should run to 2028 WILL become officially active this summer, that is now a mathematical certainty. Cue frenzied speculation that he is about to join McLaren (or maybe even Mercedes).

The question now is whether Verstappen wants to test the open market, or whether he wants to commit his long-term future to Red Bull.

Here is what we know as Verstappen prepares for an FIA press conference at Spa which is due to begin at 1430 local time (1330 UK, 0830 Eastern).

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What are Verstappen's options?

Max essentially has four options and all of them have been 'favourite' in the odds at some stage in recent months.

1) He moves to another team: The timing for this is not ideal. Even though Verstappen is a generational talent hitting the open market in the prime of his career, all the prime seats for 2027 are currently filled. Mercedes appear to be set with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, McLaren ditto with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Ferrari meanwhile have recently signed Charles Leclerc to a long-term extension while Lewis Hamilton's renaissance likely locks him in for 2027. Oh, and Aston Martin - which should really be an option here - is not because the Adrian Newey era has not yet delivered a car capable of challenging even for a points finish.

2) He retires from F1 completely: This is something Verstappen has spoken about more than once in 2026 - mainly due to his hatred of those new regulations which focus so much on battery deployment. Right now this is the most drastic of solutions for Verstappen, and it would appear to be a massive outsider. He is a born racer, only 28 years old and in his prime. Why would he give it all up?

3) He takes a sabbatical: The 'S' word is very much in play, or at least it should be. It is timing which is against Verstappen if he wants to secure a prime seat in 2027. So why not just trigger the exit clause this summer, take 2027 off and position yourself to get a prime seat in 2028 when the driver reshuffle takes place once again. It makes a lot of sense and likely brings Mercedes, Ferrari and potentially Aston Martin back into play again. Things could be very different in 12 months' time.

4) He stays at Red Bull: Despite the speculation, Verstappen and manager Raymond Vermeulen have always stressed that this is his preferred option. In fact Vermeulen said it again during the last 24 hours. This right now would appear to be the most likely option for Verstappen, despite the current struggles in Milton Keynes. On the plus side, the team now has the best power unit on the grid (per the FIA's new ADUO benchmarking) and it has been back in the podium hunt at the last two races.

What has been said?

Speaking on the Up to Speed podcast ahead of Silverstone, McLaren team boss Zak Brown admitted: "I've got two awesome racing drivers, so if I had a third car, I'd sign him in a heartbeat...But I don't have a third car, so I couldn't be happier with Lando and Oscar.

"We won 14 races last year. Two drivers that came down to the last race of the year with the chance to win the championship. They get along great. They set a great tone in the garage. So, I'm not making any driver changes.

"I said at the weekend, if someone slips on a banana peel, which is not the plan, then, yeah, I mean, you know, any racing series is about getting the best drivers in the world and giving them the best equipment."

Vermeulen, Verstappen's manager, has looked to play down rumours linking the Dutch star with a move away.

Speaking to OE24, he explained: "There's a lot being written about it. But the truth is, Max wants to finish his time with Red Bull.

"He has a contract until 2028 and would like to fulfil it."

Verstappen wants to stay according to Vermeulen.

Regarding Verstappen's exit clause, he said: "The fact that this clause exists doesn't mean we'll activate it.

"We could have activated it in recent years as well, and we haven't."

So what happens next?

What happens next is Verstappen faces the media this afternoon in Spa ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, and it will be fascinating to get an idea of his mindset right now.

Clearly the mighty Dutchman was highly frustrated after that Silverstone crash which ended his podium hopes, and the relationship with Red Bull appeared to be an extremely tense one at that point.

Throw in the reported frustration from Red Bull brass that Verstappen has yet to commit his long-term future to the team, and you have the recipe for a messy divorce. But 10 days is a long time in F1 and there is every chance the break between races has provided the reset required by all parties.

In the cold light of day Verstappen likely realises his options to move to another team for 2027 are not optimal right now. With retirement surely out of commission as well, that leaves a straight choice between sabbatical and staying put.

It's unlikely we'll get a definitive statement either way today, but we may very well get a strong hint. Get the popcorn.

Written by

Graham Shaw - Consultant Editor

Digital sports leader with 30 years of senior level experience running global brands. Built sportinglife.com to be a behemoth in the UK as well as being in charge of the Planet Sport network of sites including planetf1.com, football365.com, teamtalk.com and planetrugby.com. Then grew goal.com to be the world's biggest soccer website in 18 languages and 37 territories. Was GM of Portals for Perform Group (now DAZN) with overall responsibility for sportingnews.com, spox.de and voetbalzone.nl.

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F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Belgian Grand Prix