We're only a few races into the 2026 F1 season, but it's already become apparent that Red Bull Racing is now a midfield team. Their drop in form has not sat well with four-time Drivers' Champion Max Verstappen, who is already unhappy because of this year's divisive, potentially dangerous regulation changes.
With the Dutchman talking about a potential retirement at the end of 2026, multiple outlets report that Verstappen still has an exit clause in his contract with Red Bull that could be triggered imminently.
While there are conflicting claims, it sounds like a similar situation to last year; if Verstappen is below third place heading into the summer break, then he can exit his Red Bull deal—which runs until 2028—and either leave the sport or sign with another team.
Seeing as he's currently in 9th place with just 12 points, there's a very good chance these conditions will be met.
Talking on F1's Beyond the Grid podcast, Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies broke his silence on Verstappen's possible retirement and explained the noticeable decline in performance.
"I have every confidence that Max will keep seeing what we all see: that you still have the best 22 drivers in the world there, you’ll have the fastest cars on the planet, and it’s the most competitive environment. And he’s ultimately a competitor," the Frenchman shared. "We are not having the retirement talk with Max right now."
"We are having the hardcore analysis of how to go faster with our car. And he’s passionate about the sport, and he wants to contribute to the sport and make sure it lands in the right place. Hence, he’s vocal about the tweaks he thinks we need to do, again, as a driver, to make sure that he can be flat-out in qualifying and to make sure he can have good racing. And we are not having a retirement discussion."
"You need to come to Milton Keynes to see, as we said, the fire behind every door. And you will soon realize why I’m smiling right now, because we don’t think about our driver market in 2027. We think about getting a fast car," Mekies continued. "And if we get a fast car, there is no discussion about what Max is doing next year."
The Red Bull boss went on to say that the decision to spend time further developing the 2025 car, the RB21, ultimately led to the RB22's struggles in 2026. After a rough first half of the year, Verstappen finished just two points behind eventual Drivers' Champion Lando Norris.
"The time and energy we invested in the late push last year, does it have an impact on where you start '26? Of course, it does. So, of course, we pay a bit of the price today," Mekies said. "Do we use it as an excuse? No. We are not happy with the starting point, but we think we will get through these difficulties. As we did last year, we will get a full understanding of the limitations."
"With the new regulations coming for 2026, with the new power unit projects, there were all the reasons in the world to say, 'Well, you know what, let's turn the page. '25 did not work. Let's concentrate on '26. You would have been mad to do anything differently, to want to do things differently."
"And the truth is, nobody wanted to do that in Milton Keynes. Nobody wanted to turn the page. They all wanted to get to the bottom of that ‘25 car, get to the bottom of what didn't work to the level expected, and turn things around," he added. "And yes, they knew there would be a price to pay for later, but that's how deep the fighting spirit is in the team."
Last year serves as proof that Red Bull can potentially turn things around, but it may be too little, too late. Right now, it's impossible to imagine Verstappen bouncing back and coming anywhere close to a fifth Championship this season (even though he arguably remains the best driver on the grid).
Whether he leaves Formula 1 or decides to jump ship to another team will depend on a lot that happens in the months ahead, including whether F1 listens to fans and drivers by making sweeping changes to the increasingly unpopular 2026 regulations.