F1 driver market: Laurent Mackies says Red Bull is getting calls from ‘good drivers’ but Max Verstappen remains optimistic | F1 News

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mackies has suggested they are receiving calls from “good drivers” about possible future seats in the team but believes they will improve the pace needed to accommodate Max Verstappen.

As Formula 1 prepares for its final race before the summer break in Hungary this weekend, Verstappen’s Red Bull future beyond this season remains uncertain.

His contract runs until the end of the 2028 season but has a performance clause that would allow him to leave at the end of this year. He is believed to have until October to inform the team if he wants to activate the break in the contract.

It emerged last month that the Dutchman’s representatives had spoken to McLaren, although the latter’s Jack Braun later clarified that “I’ve got my two drivers” in Lando Norris and Oscar Piastre. Mercedes and Ferrari drivers are also under contract, seemingly limiting Verstappen’s short-term options outside of Red Bull, should he choose to stay in F1 in 2027 first.

It was only natural that Verstappen’s representatives would be aware of possible options elsewhere for their driver, Mackies was asked. Sky Sports F1 Whether his team also received inquiries from drivers elsewhere on the grid at the Belgian Grand Prix.

“It’s working both ways,” Mackies replied. “It’s completely normal and I think that’s what you reported earlier.

“It’s completely normal that Max gets calls from everyone because he’s the best driver in the world and likewise, if you’re a top team, you get calls from these good drivers too. That’s normal.

“Is it a distraction for us? Not really. The whole focus is to get the car as fast as possible, so you can have the best drivers in the world and we’re seeing a lot of growth from Max as well as Isak (Hadjar).

“That’s the ideal pairing for us and we try to make sure we keep that pairing.”

Mekies is confident Red Bull will deliver in their ongoing quest to close the remaining gap at the front of the field after moving forward since the start of the season in F1’s new era of regulations.

Since a major upgrade to the RB22 three races ago at the Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen has finished on the podium in two of the last three races, although endured a difficult Silverstone where he made a late exit due to a rear wing fault.

Issac Hajjar improved from 21st on the grid to sixth last weekend in Belgium to extend his run of top-six finishes to six races.

“All we have to do is continue to make progress with the car,” Mekis said.

“We started the season a little over a second off the pace and I don’t think we should be surprised by that.

“I think it’s a product of how late the title push was last year – a product of how late the title push was last year, a product of the incredible challenge of the new power unit.

“We started on the back foot but these guys did it again. We were more than a second away and we’re now talking about the last two or three tenths for the final pace.

“When you’re a second away, the drivers are going to be frustrated, Max is going to be frustrated. And we know that’s not the position we want to be in.

“In your words, the best way to close the matter is to get the last two or three tenths and that’s what everyone’s focused on.”

Red Bull has seen the departure of several key figures linked to their past title-winning success over the past two years, while Verstappen’s own race engineer and key partner, Gianpiero Lambius, is heading to McLaren after 2028.

Asked how the sense of ‘transition’ in the team marries Verstappen’s efforts to hold on, Mackies said: “It’s easier than it seems, because in the end it’s just about speed.

“Red Bull and Red Bull Racing have only one objective, which is to win, and that’s Max’s objective.

“So, it’s not about, how can we prove to him that we can win. We’re here to win anyway.

“It’s the same group of guys who made an incredible turnaround last year, which was a few months ago. It’s the same group of guys who, despite pushing late, managed to absorb almost a second from our competitors, and they weren’t waiting for us in this first race.

“Now we are in the hardcore part of it, the last few tenths, the hardest to get, but what we have to do is to continue working as a united team, and that’s how we will bring the best results.”

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