Verstappen wants to remain with Red Bull, according to his manager.

      "A private meeting that was planned long ago"

      Max Verstappen's manager, Raymond Vermeulen, has reiterated Dr. Helmut Marko's explanation concerning last week's widely discussed Amsterdam meeting, maintaining that the four-time world champion intends to stay with Red Bull. The gathering involving Vermeulen, Jos Verstappen, and the recently retired Marko has sparked renewed speculation about Verstappen's future, with persistent rumors linking him to Aston Martin, McLaren, and even a possible sabbatical. However, Marko previously dismissed the meeting as a previously arranged private engagement, a view that Vermeulen echoed when speaking to Austria’s Osterreich newspaper. "That was a private meeting that had been set up long ago," he stated. "Moreover, Max’s sister had her wedding."

      Vermeulen also played down the ongoing transfer rumors. "A lot has been written about it," he noted. "But the reality is, Max wants to complete his time with Red Bull. He is under contract until 2028 and wishes to honour it." When questioned about the exit clause related to performance, Vermeulen clarified that its existence does not imply it will be acted upon. "Just because this clause is in place doesn’t mean we’ll use it," he explained. "We could have activated it in past years as well, and we didn’t."

      Vermeulen remains hopeful about Red Bull's potential for recovery. He thinks Verstappen might not win this weekend at Spa, "but the chances improve in Budapest and Zandvoort," while asserting that the team's new Red Bull-Ford power unit "is better than most anticipated." Former Haas chief Gunther Steiner also believes that Verstappen's best choice is to remain with Red Bull. "Red Bull is completely designed for Max," he told Sport Bild. "You can't simply replicate something like that. Besides, Max earns a significant amount of money. Staying with Red Bull would be his best decision."

      Steiner did acknowledge, though, that the situation has grown more complex. "But Max stayed," he remarked, referring to past similar scenarios. "And recently the team looked significantly stronger again, for instance in Austria. However, Silverstone was another step in the wrong direction."

      In the meantime, reports indicate that Red Bull is advocating for more stringent FIA scrutiny of the radical ‘Macarena’ rear wing design following Verstappen’s two recent rear wing failures, with Ferrari being the only team to have fully mastered this concept. Ex-F1 driver Ralf Schumacher believes these failures warrant thorough examination. "The question is why it only happens to him (Verstappen)," he told Sky Deutschland. "You can attribute it to mere bad luck, but perhaps his driving style is very distinct from Isack Hadjar’s." Schumacher noted that these recurring failures inevitably spark speculation. "Is it merely coincidence, or is there something more to it?" he asked. "Eventually, you hear all sorts of stories. I truly hope they can technically resolve this issue now." Looking ahead to Spa, he cautioned, "Fortunately, it occurred in the braking zone. Otherwise, on a track like Spa, it could become a far more serious problem."