Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies conceded that he is unsure whether four-time world champion Max Verstappen will remain with the team beyond the 2026 season. 

Verstappen is contracted with Red Bull until the end of 2028, but is understood to have a clause in his contract that would allow him to join a rival team as early as next year. 

Should the Dutchman be outside the top two in the Constructors' Championship at the start of this season's summer break in August, then he can talk to potential employers, as per reports. 

It has been a difficult start to the campaign for Red Bull and Verstappen. He currently sits 101 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli after just seven races.  

Verstappen has been critical of Formula One's latest set of regulations for this season, and has even hinted he could walk away from the sport in the not too distant future. 

Mercedes were reportedly interested in signing Verstappen from Red Bull last year, while McLaren have now emerged as potential suitors for the 28-year-old.

Red Bull have brought a major upgrade package to this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, and Mekies appeared to accept that the new parts would need to produce progress to help convince Verstappen to commit for another year.

"Max wants a fast car, [he] always wanted a fast car," Mekies told the media in between Friday's practice sessions.

"He completely trusts us in making sure we are doing everything we can, short-term and long-term, to ensure we return to success and continuous success.

"We look at the results on the tracks, that's the only thing that matters. Hopefully the results will improve rapidly."

Rumours of a move to McLaren have been heightened in recent weeks after Verstappen's race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, agreed to join the team in two years time. 

Verstappen has managed just one podium so far this year, coming in Canada, though he has often performed well during Red Bull's home race in Austria. 

No driver has recorded more victories at the Austrian Grand Prix than Verstappen's four. He also holds the records for the most podium finishes (six), pole positions (four) and fastest laps (four) at the event, though he has not won the race since 2023.

Verstappen is also just one point away from surpassing 3,500 career points in F1. Only Lewis Hamilton (5,133.5) has previously reached that milestone ahead of the Dutchman, who currently sits on 3,499.5 points.

Mekies said that he was not pressuring Verstappen into making a decision for next season, but revealed what Red Bull needed to show in order to retain his services. 

"I'm convinced that Max wants to see continuous progress. He knows very well that you don't go from one second [deficit] to zero in no time," Mekies added. 

"But he wants to see that path to continue to improve. I think it's only about overall lap time, so if we can close that gap to only a couple of tenths, it would mean that we still keep having the gap to competition, and hopefully we will be in striking range soon."

"I'm not asking Max every week if he's going to stay. Max has made clear to us that he wants to continue with the team.

"It's equally clear that he needs a fast car for him to be happy with the team."