Hadjar staying, Verstappen offered richer deal
"There has been no official response since then"
Red Bull has reportedly offered Max Verstappen a longer and more lucrative contract that would remove his existing release clause.
According to Bild, team principal Laurent Mekies and Red Bull sporting chief Oliver Mintzlaff want to extend Verstappen’s deal from the end of 2028 until after the 2029 season.
Bild says Verstappen’s base salary, currently around 65 million euros per year, would also be increased. "Verstappen and his management have had Red Bull’s offer for several weeks," the report read.
"There has been no official response since then. The superstar holds the upper hand and is under no time pressure."
"However, the two parties are in continuous communication. Both Red Bull and Verstappen and his entourage are interested in continuing their collaboration."
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has meanwhile given another indication that there will be no immediate opening for Verstappen.
"We haven’t officially said anything yet," Wolff told Sky Deutschland about retaining Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
"But it’s the only logical option at this point."
Wolff said Mercedes’ current problems are not caused by its drivers. "We need to make the car more stable," he said.
"Starting to change drivers now wouldn’t be the right thing to do."
He nevertheless admitted that a future Verstappen-Antonelli pairing remains attractive.
"You have to give Kimi time to develop," said the Austrian. "Max is driving at his peak. He can do anything.
"The two respect each other, but they’re from different generations. Having both of them in one team is, of course, a completely different starting point."
Wolff, though, said he would not fear the tension created by such a pairing. "I had it worse with Rosberg and Hamilton," Wolff smiled.
"Today I’d probably handle it better. But in the current situation, we’re happy with the dynamic between Kimi and George."
Verstappen finished P2 in Hungary despite criticising the Red Bull throughout the weekend.
"Someone said to me, if he’s like this when he is not happy with the balance, imagine what he will do if he is happy with the balance," Mekies smiled.
"Max was outspoken, as he always is, but in the end a solution was found to take a podium spot."
When asked again about Verstappen’s future, Mekies insisted the team’s priority is simply to give him a winning car.
"We’ve really exhausted the topic," said the Frenchman. "We want to get back to a situation where we can win - and as quickly as possible."
"Max wants that too, and we want to do it together. We’re simply trying to put the car in the optimal position for him. That’s the only thing that matters to Max."
Mekies also strongly hinted that Isack Hadjar will remain alongside Verstappen after finishing P6 on Sunday.
"It is good news that we have a strong second driver for the first time in quite a long time," he said.
"Isack is performing solidly and has learned a lot from the team and from Max. We haven’t discussed the future yet, but everyone can see that Isack is doing an excellent job."
"So we will make a logical decision."
Mekies also admitted that the two Red Bull cars are not completely identical. "The cars are very similar, not identical, but very similar," he revealed.