Max Verstappen affirms Red Bull focus amid future speculation

World Champion Max Verstappen, whose contract with Red Bull runs until the end of 2028, said he is not giving weight to rumours of informal talks with McLaren and will not comment on his long‑term team plans. He stressed that Red Bull is aware of the need for further performance upgrades, describing the Austrian Grand Prix development package as "crucial" but acknowledging that additional work is required to close the gap to rivals.

Verstappen also noted the team’s budget‑cap constraints, joking that any remaining resources might have to come from "saving on catering". He highlighted recent technical setbacks, including a qualifying incident in Austria caused by a car fault and a power‑unit failure in Monaco, and remarked that the season has brought "a lot of bad luck". Outside of racing, he humorously mentioned plans to spend two months in Tibet as a Buddhist retreat at year‑end.