Verstappen options narrowing as Red Bull crisis deepens

Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future remains the dominant paddock topic, with fresh reports suggesting the Dutchman may have fewer options than many believe despite his growing frustration at Red Bull.

Verstappen left Silverstone in a foul mood after another rear wing failure, admitting he wanted to "go home" and forget about Formula 1 after a weekend in which he also clashed with the team over its refusal to fit a new power unit and start from the pitlane.

Now, reports in Italy claim Mercedes has already rejected Verstappen’s willingness to accept a reduced salary of around EUR 50 million per year as part of a three-year deal, while McLaren also has no room in its driver lineup.

Meanwhile, Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies has refused to rule out abandoning the team’s ’Macarena’ rear wing concept after Verstappen suffered two frightening failures in consecutive races.

"We will do everything necessary to be on the safe side," the Frenchman said. "We could go back to the original setup if we’d only run a few races with it.

"We’ve been running races with it since Miami, I believe. So it’s a significant number of races.

"It’s still too early in the analysis to determine whether it’s a problem with the concept or something else. But we will certainly pull out all the stops to find the cause.

"We have every option at our disposal."

Mekies also acknowledged Verstappen’s anger after another high-speed failure.

"He’s right not to be happy," he said.

Verstappen’s frustrations also extend to Red Bull’s own Ford-backed power unit, which has struggled with drivability throughout the season.

Asked after the race whether Red Bull-Ford still has the best engine in Formula 1, Verstappen smiled wryly. "Maybe it’s better that I don’t answer this."

He added: "We need to look at it again.

"On circuits where you are very limited in terms of energy, it seems that we have a bit of a hard time."

According to De Telegraaf journalist Erik van Haren, Red Bull’s difficulties extend beyond performance, with long-time Verstappen race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase’s planned move to McLaren now creating tension.

"Lambiase is not only Verstappen’s right-hand man, but also Head of Racing," the report states.

"Pierre Wache no longer shares everything with the Briton because he could, of course, pass the information on to his future employer later.

"It’s not a healthy situation."

The report also claims rival teams, particularly Aston Martin and Cadillac, continue targeting Red Bull personnel with significantly higher salary offers.