Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies insisted Max Verstappen is "fully committed" to the team and unaffected by the future exit of his race engineer.

The team announced Gianpiero Lambiase, who has been Verstappen's race engineer since the Dutchman's Red Bull debut in 2016, will be joining McLaren as their chief racing officer by 2028 at the latest.

Verstappen revealed earlier in the season he is considering his future in Formula One due to his dissatisfaction with the 2026 regulations.

Red Bull have struggled to adapt to the new changes, leaving them sixth in the Constructors' Championship and Verstappen ninth in the drivers' standings.

The four-time world champion has finished outside the top five in the first three races of the year for the fourth time in F1, following 2015 (in the first nine), 2016 (in the first four) and 2018 (in the first four), three of which were his first four years in the competition.

Verstappen finished two points behind 2025 champion Lando Norris last year, but finds himself way off the early pace set by Mercedes.

Lambiase's upcoming exit seemed to add fuel to the fire surrounding Verstappen's future, though Mekies insisted his driver remains focused on the task at hand.

When asked if the Lambiase news played a factor in Max considering his future, Lekies responded: "Absolutely not.

"Obviously, we speak with Max every day. And Max knows motorsport upside down.

"He's living and breathing this team. He knows most of these guys. He understands very well the dynamics that can happen.

"The team has been extremely successful and you can't promote everyone. And some people make some decisions.

"The Max we see is a fully committed Max. He wants a fast car and he's helping the team to get a fast car. He's bringing all his energy to that."

After a month-long break in the calendar due to the cancellations of the Saudi Arabian and Bahrain Grand Prix, F1 returns this weekend in Miami.

The 2026 edition at the Miami International Autodrome will have the 26th sprint race in F1. No driver has won more sprint races than Verstappen (13), though the Red Bull driver has failed to finish on the podium in each of the last three.