Jul.16 (GMM) Max Verstappen’s manager Raymond Vermeulen has delivered exactly the same explanation as Dr Helmut Marko about last week’s much-discussed Amsterdam meeting, while insisting the four-time world champion still intends to remain at Red Bull.
The meeting between Vermeulen, Jos Verstappen and the recently retired Marko fuelled fresh speculation about Verstappen’s future as rumours continue linking him with Aston Martin, McLaren and even a sabbatical.
However, after Marko earlier dismissed the meeting as a private engagement arranged long in advance, Vermeulen gave Austria’s Osterreich newspaper an almost identical explanation.
“That was a private meeting that had been arranged long ago,” he said. “Also, Max’s sister got married.”
Vermeulen also downplayed the ongoing transfer speculation.
“There’s a lot being written about it,” he said.
“But the truth is, Max wants to finish his time with Red Bull. He has a contract until 2028 and would like to fulfill it.”
When asked about Verstappen’s widely reported performance-related exit clause, Vermeulen insisted its existence does not mean it will be used.
“The fact that this clause exists doesn’t mean we’ll activate it,” he said. “We could have activated it in recent years as well, and we haven’t.”
Vermeulen also remains optimistic Red Bull can recover.
He believes Verstappen is unlikely to win this weekend at Spa, “but the chances increase in Budapest and Zandvoort”, while insisting the team’s new Red Bull-Ford power unit “is better than most people thought”.
Former Haas boss Gunther Steiner also thinks Verstappen’s best option is to stay put.
“Red Bull is completely tailored to Max,” he told Sport Bild.
“You can’t just copy something like that. Besides, Max makes a lot of money. Staying at Red Bull would be the best decision for him.”
Steiner acknowledged, however, that the situation has become more complicated. “But Max stayed,” he said, referring to similar situations in the past.
“And lately the team looked significantly stronger again, for example in Austria. Silverstone, on the other hand, was another step in the wrong direction.”
Meanwhile, reports suggest Red Bull is now pushing for closer FIA scrutiny of the radical ‘Macarena’ rear wing concept following Verstappen’s two recent rear wing failures, with Ferrari currently the only team to have fully mastered the design.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher thinks the failures deserve close investigation.
“The question is why it happens to him (Verstappen) alone,” he told Sky Deutschland.
“You can say it’s stupid bad luck, but maybe his driving style is very different from Isack Hadjar’s.”
Schumacher said the repeated failures inevitably fuel speculation.
“Is it really just a coincidence, or is there more to it?” he asked. “At some point, of course, you hear all kinds of stories. I do hope they will get it under control technically now.”
Looking ahead to Spa, he warned: “Fortunately, it happened in the braking zone. Otherwise, on a circuit like Spa, it could become a much bigger problem.”
