Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has responded to four-time champion Max Verstappen’s retirement hint after a frustrating start to the Formula 1 2026 season. Due to his ongoing struggles with the new power unit in the series, Verstappen claimed that he is considering retiring at the end of 2026.
On being asked about a possible retirement at the end of 2026, the Red Bull driver told the BBC, “Thatโs what Iโm saying. Iโm thinking about everything inside this paddock. Privately, I’m very happy. You also wait for 24 races. This time it’s 22. But normally 24. And then you just think about, is it worth it? Or do I enjoy being more at home with my family? Seeing my friends more when you’re not enjoying your sport?”
Mekies reacted to Verstappen’s comments. “We are having zero discussions about those aspects,” Mekies told the media on Sunday at Suzuka. “We have a lot of work to do, but I’m sure by the time we give him a fast car, he will be a much happier Max.
“And by the time we give him a car that he can push and make the difference with, he will also be a happier Max. So, honestly, that’s 100% of our discussions right now, is that. And as per the regs, as you know, they are coming with some good aspects and more tricky aspects. And as a sport, with the other teams, we will meet in the break to see how we can tweak them to make things better.โ
Max Verstappen endured a frustrating Japanese GP, making little headway and spending much of it stuck behind Pierre Gasly of Alpine.
The Red Bull driver repeatedly voiced concerns over the carโs handling and balance during the Japan weekend, even calling it โundriveable.โ Team boss Laurent Mekies conceded that Red Bull have slipped to a โdistant fourthโ in the 2026 order, trailing Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team, Scuderia Ferrari and reigning champions McLaren Formula One Team, who impressed in Japan.
“There is nothing to be happy about today, but in terms of overall gap to the competition, it looked not too dissimilar to the Melbourne pictures in terms of one second to the best guy, half a second to the best Ferrari. But now, McLaren is at that same level. So, we are a distant fourth. That’s the reality,” he said.
“And I think it’s a combination of underlying performance, Melbourne or here. So, we need to do some more work. And a layer of us not being able to extract enough from the package and to give something Max can push with.
“And I’m not suggesting that it’s set up tuning. I’m just saying there is something we are wrestling with, with that car, that adds to our underlying lack of performance. Now, trying to solve this sort of complex issues and trying to understand complex limitations is our core business.
“So, as much as it feels bad when you are at the back of the top teams like now, that’s precisely what the whole campus is set up to do, to get to the bottom of complex limitations like that and nail them, bring development that can mitigate them and improve. And it feels bad now, but I have full confidence that that’s exactly what our team is very good at.โ
“And I’m not suggesting that it’s set up tuning. I’m just saying there is something we are wrestling with, with that car, that adds to our underlying lack of performance. Now, trying to solve this sort of complex issue and trying to understand complex limitations is our core business.
“So, as much as it feels bad when you are at the back of the top teams like now, that’s precisely what the whole campus is set up to do, to get to the bottom of complex limitations like that and nail them, bring development that can mitigate them and improve. And it feels bad now, but I have full confidence that that’s exactly what our team is very good at.โ