At the Belgian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen made his position on the McLaren speculation crystal clear before the questions had even properly begun.
When F1 presenter Tom Clarkson raised the subject during the FIA press conference, Verstappen responded with single-word answers that left little room for follow-up.
Asked if there was any update on his future, Verstappen simply said “No,” and when pressed on what he made of the speculation, he replied with an equally blunt “Nothing.”
When asked if he had a date in mind for a decision, he again said “No,” before stating: “There’s nothing to say from my side.”
Pushed on whether that meant full commitment to Red Bull for 2027, Verstappen shut the conversation down entirely, saying: “I said there’s nothing to say.”
The Dutch media session that followed was no different, with Verstappen immediately pre-empting the line of questioning with a wry remark.
When a Dutch journalist jokingly suggested the session would largely focus on his future, Verstappen replied: “I’m not going to say anything about it anyway, so it would be over pretty quickly!”
When the question was more subtly raised as to whether he had at least made up his mind privately, the four-time world champion insisted that was not the case.
“No, I’m just busy trying to make sure we take the right steps here,” he said, adding that his sister’s wedding had also been a priority and that “everything will come naturally.”
He also confirmed there is no self-imposed deadline for clarity on his future, saying simply: “No, not necessarily.”
Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull contains a well-known exit clause linked to his championship standings position in August, though he is not obligated to inform the team of any decision before October.
Manager Raymond Vermeulen has already clarified publicly that the mere existence of the clause does not automatically mean the Verstappen camp intends to activate it.
McLaren, for their part, have never denied holding talks with Verstappen, which has allowed the rumours to continue building momentum since Silverstone.
Much of the recent online speculation has been fuelled by so-called “vaguetweeting,” though insiders were reportedly aware from the start that one particular post referred to Scott Dixon’s move to Arrow McLaren in IndyCar.
Away from the future speculation, Verstappen also addressed his return to work following his retirement at the British Grand Prix, confirming he was back in the simulator by Wednesday.
“When you get out of the car at that moment, you’ve had enough of it because you’ve gone off for the second time due to a similar issue,” he explained, referencing the rotating rear wing Red Bull chose not to run at Spa.
Those Wednesday sessions also included discussions about Verstappen’s concern that Red Bull has not been listening to him sufficiently, a point he had raised previously in Canada and again after Silverstone.
“Everything I’ve said has been taken on board and we’ve talked about it,” he said, while clarifying the tone remained constructive rather than confrontational.
When asked if Red Bull had been putting pressure on him to publicly commit his future to the team, Verstappen was dismissive, saying: “No, they can’t really put pressure on me anyway.”
He described the atmosphere within the team as unchanged, adding: “All our conversations are basically about the car and how we can improve the car. In that respect, the atmosphere is exactly as it has always been, and that’s how it should be.”
As things stand, Verstappen has little incentive to end the speculation, as it provides either leverage with Red Bull or the genuine opportunity to explore options elsewhere before any final decision is made.