Verstappen not impressed by Red Bull updates: 'It looks like we're lacking'

Verstappen drove in both the first and second free practice sessions in Austria with the large package of updates that Red Bull Racing brought for this weekend. The team hopes this will move them closer to the front, but so far that hasn’t been the case. In FP2, Verstappen was more than half a second off on a short track like the one in Spielberg.

The importance of this update package speaks for itself. There are doubts about Verstappen’s future at Red Bull Racing, and Laurent Mekies emphasized in the press conference that they primarily need to provide Verstappen with a fast car. Red Bull has already made strides this season, but according to Mekies they are bringing one of the last major updates of the season in Austria. If this isn’t good enough to start winning races again, the question is whether Verstappen will want to look elsewhere.

On that note, Mekies did let slip that Verstappen is said to have stated he wants to stay at Red Bull Racing. However, he added the caveat that Red Bull does need to give him a good car. In recent weeks, it had already trickled out that Red Bull would have liked a definitive “yes” from Verstappen for 2027, but so far they do not have assurances from the four-time world champion.