Laurent Mekies has zero concerns that 2026 Formula 1 rules will drive Max Verstappen away

The Dutchman has always insisted on the fun factor of being an F1 driver, insisting winning is not enough for him to remain in the sport, especially after all he has achieved—four titles, 71 wins, and 48 pole positions.

With his latest remarks regarding the 2026 F1 cars, the inevitable question, whether there should be any concern that Verstappen would leave F1, popped up again.

And that question was posed to Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies on Wednesday in Bahrain.

The Frenchman responded, saying: “The short answer to that question is no, zero concerns about that.

“And yes, I do recall our conversations last year when he was switching from one car model to another car model, so from '25 to '26 in the sim. And yes, the difference was so big that at some stage, I think rightly so, he decided to focus on the '25 approach.

“But, you know, the reality is that the challenges of these regulations are massive," Mekies pointed out. "They are massive for the teams, massive for the power unit manufacturers, and massive for the drivers as well.

"It is different for all of us, but that's also what we love – to try to break through these challenges, to try to find solutions that we felt were not on the table. And that's what we will do with Max’s help."

Mekies went further claiming that Verstappen, a known avid sim racer, may end up being a master of the new rules.

He explained: “I'm quite confident that, as it will turn out, he will most likely become the best at mastering these regulations and the technicalities and tricks, as much as he was in the previous set of regulations.”

Despite his dislike of the new cars, Verstappen vowed to give his best in the cockpit, pushing to the max and not changing his all-out approach. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)