Crucial test for Red Bull: will this update determine Verstappen's future?

On Thursday evening, shortly after 7 p.m., as Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull is rolled out of the garage for pit stop practice, dozens of fans gather at the box of the Austrian pride. Up close, they see the RB22 for the first time in a slimmed-down form; a machine with which Hadjar and teammate Max Verstappen hope to take a serious step forward.

When Verstappen sends the improved car onto the Red Bull Ring for the first time this Friday, the decision-makers will no doubt be sitting on the edge of their seats. Updates are always important, but now—with a little imagination—the team’s future hangs in the balance. Max Verstappen still has to make the call: will he stay with Red Bull in 2027 or not?

The likelihood of him staying is surely much higher if the RB22 is indeed significantly faster after the tweaks. Even when asked, however, Verstappen did not want to show his hand yesterday. Old and wise enough, the Dutchman realized that any statement about his future would lead to screaming headlines. So when questioned about it, he kept things vague. Verstappen spoke solely about the importance for the team and the overall performance the updates should deliver.

Verstappen can’t escape conversations about his future. This weekend, all the key figures from Red Bull GmbH are present at their home circuit, among other things to talk with Verstappen and his entourage. That Red Bull is meanwhile pushing Verstappen to give the Austrians his yes is a given.

With Verstappen, Red Bull is a much stronger team—that awareness exists at the very top. Of course, Red Bull Racing is having a tough time at the moment, but Max Verstappen is likely the only driver who can structurally bring the team back to the top in the long run. All the more important that he doesn’t drop out. And that’s precisely why Red Bull’s updates are crucial. If, in the worst case, they deliver nothing, it could well be that Verstappen becomes much more talkative about his future in the near future.