Max Verstappen is currently involved in a high-stakes game of poker with his employer as he ponders his F1 future.

The 28-year-old Dutchman has a contract through to 2028, though there is of course an exit clause which is now active after he entered the summer break outside the top two in the championship standings.

Despite being linked with Mercedes and McLaren, there has been no movement as yet in silly season. And neither has Verstappen yet committed to Red Bull for the long term.

According to ESPN insider Nate Saunders, Verstappen’s current Red Bull deal is not helping him in negotiations, as he explained in his ‘bold predictions for the remainder of 2026’.

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Red Bull deal hurts Verstappen leverage

Saunders claims Verstappen’s leverage is hampered by the deal, explaining: “The signing of such a long-term deal was, in hindsight, a terrible bit of business by Verstappen.

“He’s won three more world titles since and Formula 1’s popularity has boomed to heights that seemed unfathomable even in 2022.

“It’s his own Scottie Pippen moment: it’s not unfair to suggest the financial terms of that deal, however lucrative they were, are now also ludicrously cheap compared to what Verstappen could get on the open market today.”

Red Bull vs Verstappen – a contract stand-off

Widespread reports suggest that Verstappen wants a significant pay rise if he commits to a new long-term Red Bull deal, while his employer would very much like that exit clause removed. Cue a very high-profile stand-off.

The fact Mercedes and McLaren appear to be set with their driver lineups for 2027 mean that while the exit clause is active, Verstappen may have nowhere to go.

That means Red Bull have a surprising amount of leverage here – in effect they are bidding against themselves.

Nuclear option for Max

There is another nuclear option for Verstappen of course – involving either retirement or a one-year sabbatical.

The former – while Verstappen has referenced it this year – would appear to be off the table. The latter though should not be totally ruled out as it would allow Verstappen to leave Red Bull and return to the driver market in the summer of 2027, when more prime seats are likely to open up for 2028.

Right now Verstappen remains the biggest domino to fall in silly season 2026, and when he does blink others will follow.

One other fact means this is a story which could run and run though – it is believed Verstappen has until October to act on that exit clause.

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Fernando Alonso‘s hopes of winning more F1 races and titles with Aston Martin have been dealt a blow by a reality check from Chief Honda engineer Shintaro Orihara.

Before the summer break, a major upgrade package offered hope that the team could be more competitive for the remainder of the season, with an upgrade to their Honda power unit set to come into play at the Dutch Grand Prix next weekend.

However, Orihara has warned that it won’t fix all of the team’s problems, and that it could be a long time before they are a top competitor in terms of power.

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Red Bull star reacts to team boss’ unexpected backing for F1 promotion

Red Bull star Nikola Tsolov has reacted to his F2 team boss hyping him up for a promotion to F1, as rumours of a Racing Bulls move continue to swirl.

F2 team owner Adrian Campos said after a fantastic weekend at Silverstone earlier in the summer that Tsolov ‘really deserves’ a chance to prove himself against the best of the best, comments which the Bulgarian admitted took him by surprise.

Tsolov’s sweep of the sprint and feature races at the British Grand Prix weekend helped him to his current spot at the very top of the standings as just a 19-year-old rookie, with his progress being closely monitored by a number of key figures in the sport.

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Max Verstappen ‘fed up’ after being proved right as F1 future hangs in the balance

Four-time world champion Max Verstappen has been a vocal critic of F1’s new regulations, but the Red Bull star says he is ‘fed up’ of talking about them as he considers his next steps in the sport.

Ahead of the 2026 campaign, F1 had a huge overhaul with new aerodynamic and power unit regulations having been introduced simultaneously, and they have come in for a lot of criticism since.

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Verstappen McLaren warning, Audi statement and FOURTEEN seats still open – F1 Transfer Roundup

F1 Silly Season 2026 is now in full swing and we have all the latest news and rumours as we wait for the biggest chips to fall this summer.

Our latest edition includes updates on Max Verstappen and McLaren, confirmation of the lineup at Audi and an official note from F1 on just how many seats are still not 100 percent confirmed on the 2027 grid. Spoiler alert, there are a LOT.

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F1 2026 Dutch Grand Prix weather forecast – danger of rain for Zandvoort farewell

F1 is finally back from its summer break this weekend, and it’s kicking off with what might well be the sport’s last ever race at Zandvoort.

The Dutch track first held an F1 world championship race all the way back in 1952, with well over 30 races being held over the years up to Sunday’s farewell.

It could – just could – be a spectacular farewell though, with the weather forecasts indicating that fans could see the 2026 spec F1 cars run in wet weather conditions for the very first time.

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Adrian Newey is widely acclaimed as the foremost design genius in F1, but that does not automatically mean every team on the grid would hire somebody like him.

The 67-year-old Englishman’s achievements are now legendary with his cars having delivered 12 Constructors’ titles and 14 Drivers’ titles during his glittering career.

Now Newey is attempting to make Aston Martin a legitimate contender on contract which is reportedly worth some £30million per year. That after ending a glorious run at Red Bull.

While so many experts and insiders (and drivers) worship at the altar of Newey and superstar technical minds like him, Alpine boss Flavio Briatore takes a different view.

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Briatore takes a different approach to team building

The 76-year-old Italian is not being critical of their skillset, it’s just that he takes a different approach to team building.

When asked by RacingNews365 what Alpine needs to take the next step in its development, Briatore responded: “Even more than a big name, we simply need someone who is very good. Because a big name often means absolutely nothing.”

Briatore put the focus specifically on Aston’s push for greatness with Newey at the helm as billionaire owner Lawrence Stroll spends big to assemble a technical ‘dream team’ in Silverstone.

As well as hiring Newey, Stroll also brought in huge influences like Andy Cowell from Mercedes and Enrico Cardile from Ferrari.

“Formula 1 creates these kinds of monsters, and over time, such a monster either works or it doesn’t,” he claimed.

“Everyone knows that Aston Martin has attracted the biggest names from the technical world.

Aston Martin results ‘lagging behind’

“Lawrence Stroll did a fantastic job building the factory and everything that goes with it, but the results are lagging behind. That is why I will never bring such a so-called top name to my team.

“In the past, we created big names ourselves with guys like Ross Brawn, Bob Bell, Pat Symonds, and James Allison.”

Briatore’s way of working has not only produced world titles in the past, it has brought Alpine now to the upper levels of the F1 midfield, battling with Racing Bulls to take it to the big guns at the front.

Aston Martin meanwhile currently lie 10th in the standings after a disastrous start to 2026, with only rookie team Cadillac beneath them.

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