McLaren team principal Andrea Stella avoided giving an explicit denial when answering questions about Max Verstappen at the press conference following qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix. Rumors that Verstappen was negotiating with McLaren for the 2027 season surfaced at the Austrian GP, with the team acknowledging informal discussions at the time. At Spa-Francorchamps, the rumors were reignited when Verstappen's father, Jos Verstappen, and manager Raymond Vermeulen visited the McLaren guesthouse on Friday. The visit reportedly concerned Dries van Langendonck, the young Belgian driver currently under Verstappen's tutelage in the McLaren junior program.
Stella's third vehicle response
When a journalist asked Stella, 'Can you put an end to the rumors? Is there no talk between McLaren representatives and Verstappen?', the Italian technical director replied: 'As I've said before, we're talking about a four-time world champion. That would always be a fascinating opportunity, but it would require introducing a third car. So you need to talk to someone at a higher political level, not me; we would consider that option when those conditions are right.' Stella's response was clearly delivered with a sarcastic tone. Since there are no known plans for the use of a third car in Formula 1, this answer was an indirect way of sending a message of confidence to both Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in public. However, Stella deliberately chose not to pursue the opportunity to silence the rumors as much as possible.
Verstappen left the questions unanswered.
Verstappen had responded to a question about the McLaren option at the Austrian GP with: 'I'm not going to get involved in that. I've already said what I wanted to say. If anything new happens or things change, you'll hear it from me, not from someone else's writing. I'm just focused on my work with my own team.' Verstappen maintained his stance even in the face of persistent questions from presenter Tom Clarkson at Thursday's press conference in Spa-Francorchamps. When Clarkson asked if he wanted an update on his future plans, Verstappen simply said 'No'; when asked about his opinion on the speculation, he replied 'Nothing'. Before Clarkson could finish his question about 'complete commitment to Red Bull?', he interrupted him, saying, 'I said I have nothing to say.'.
Whether Verstappen will leave Red Bull remains uncertain. The Dutch driver is tied to the team with a contract valid until the end of 2028. However, unlike last year, his seventh-place position in the championship standings this season could open the door for him to activate a possible exit clause in his contract. Claims that Piastri might need to vacate his seat in favor of Verstappen were strongly denied by Piastri's manager, Mark Webber, in a statement to racer.com.