Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has insisted that Max Verstappen has "made clear" he wants to stay with the team, following reports linking him with a bombshell move to McLaren.
It was reported by The Daily Mail earlier in the Austrian GP weekend that Red Bull's Verstappen could be in line for a swap deal with Oscar Piastri at McLaren from as early as next year.
Verstappen has repeatedly made clear his frustrations at Red Bull being a midfield runner in 2026, with the Dutchman currently 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli after just seven grands prix.
The team has delivered a huge upgrade to its home race in Austria in a bid to shave off the final excess weight the RB22 is carrying.
Speaking directly to the rumour of Verstappen to McLaren, Mekies spoke of Red Bull's desire to end the speculation around Verstappen's future by providing him with what he seeks: a competitive car.
"I think the last time I was in this press conference, I think I said that I’m not asking Max every week if he’s going to stay," Mekies told media, including RacingNews365.
"Max has made clear to us that he wants to continue with the team. It’s equally clear that he needs a fast car for him to be happy with the team.
"You may recall also that he has been vocal about the progress that we needed to have on the regulations. We are in a fortunate situation for the sport where there have been very open sessions between FIA, F1 and the teams, and we have managed to tweak these regulations for 2027 and 2028.
"And I think it’s great not only for Max, but it’s great for the fast drivers, and it’s great for the sport. So, as I said a few weeks ago, we are not asking Max every week.
"He’s pushing with us, he’s helping us to find the right development path for the car, again [on Friday] doing very large test scans through the sessions to try to turn all the stones as possible.
"So, it’s not a topic for us. The topic for us is to get the car back to where we want it to be, and as you may, I hope, agree, if the car is back where we want it to be, there will be no discussion."
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