Max Verstappen has left his future in Formula 1 open again ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix and praised his “really good” relationship with Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies.
Verstappen has yet to commit to staying with Red Bull for next year after he was linked to McLaren and suggested he'd consider leaving F1.
“I don’t want to go here, say yes, and no, and this and that about my future. I said already many times that if there was something new I would say it myself,” the four-time world champion said Thursday.
Mekies is marking a year in charge of the team after replacing longtime boss Christian Horner midway through 2025, and Verstappen had warm words for him.
“It’s been really good. I get on very well with Laurent. We speak a lot on track, but also off track," he said. "I think the relationship that he has also within the team is great.
"Everything for me feels very positive and I think it’s always nice when you can discuss a lot of things with your team boss. So from that sense, yeah, very happy. It’s all very open and transparent.”
After faults with the rotating rear wing pitched Verstappen into the barriers at high speed two weeks running in Austria and Britain, Red Bull is reverting back to an old wing design for Belgium this week.
“It’s quite obvious, no, why? So we’ll go back on the old one and then see whenever the latest or new one is ready again to be used for us,” Verstappen said.
He crashed out of the British Grand Prix and delivered an expletive-laden rant at the car over the radio before branding it “dangerous” to drive.
It's the third year running that Verstappen has kept his future open, only to recommit to Red Bull halfway through the season. Last year, he didn't pledge to stay with the team until the Hungarian Grand Prix on July 31.
He has been part of Red Bull's racing program since childhood and has a contract through 2028, though it includes clauses potentially allowing an earlier exit.
This time, a reported meeting between Verstappen's management and McLaren fueled the speculation of what would have been a blockbuster move. McLaren has also signed Verstappen's longtime engineer and confidant GianPiero Lambiase as its “chief racing officer” in future.
However, McLaren chief executive Zak Brown seemed to rule out a move when he said the team's current drivers Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were “not going anywhere.”
It wasn't even certain Verstappen would stay in F1 after he publicly considered leaving the series earlier this year. Verstappen has been the most vocal critic of the reliance on electrical power in the 2026-specification cars, which he says are not fun to drive and promote artificial overtaking.
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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands, left, prepares for the qualifying session ahead of the British F1 Grand Prix, in Silverstone, England, Saturday, July 4, 2026. (Peter Powell/Pool via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) — Do your hands hurt when you use your phone? All that texting and scrolling might be stressing out your fingers.
The term texting thumb can describe a wide range of phone-related pains caused by tired-out tendons and achy joints — like general stiffness, throbbing near the knuckle and a clicking sensation when bending the thumb. If left untreated, repetitive typing and swiping can lead to more serious issues like carpal tunnel and arthritis.
People have pecked away at devices for decades with warnings about overuse injuries — think BlackBerry thumb. Today's smartphones have gotten larger and heavier, and the way we use them has also shifted: Beyond talking and texting, it's common to doomscroll for hours, pay medical bills and even watch full-length movies and TV shows.
“Mobile devices are here to stay. So rather than saying ‘you can’t be on your device,' we really just need to learn and think about ways to make the devices compatible with modern life,” said Dr. Maureen O'Shaughnessy with the University of Kentucky HealthCare Hand Center.
Locking wrists and elbows in the same position for hours can lead to soreness in places like the base of the thumb or wrist. Holding phones upright for long periods can also tire other fingers.
O'Shaughnessy said people tend to realize the painful effects when they're not on their device as much, such as being on vacation. That is when phone-related irritation or dull aches go away.
The simplest way to ease this pain is to go touch grass — that is, limit phone time or take short breaks in between scrolling spurts. But that's easier said than done. If a detox feels difficult, try to mix up postures, switch hands to type and use the index or other fingers.
Built-in accessibility features can also minimize thumb overuse. Try sending messages using the voice-to-text feature and enlarge the text size so you don’t have to hold the phone so close.
There are also circle and ring-shaped grip accessories that attach to the back of the phone and more evenly distribute the weight across the hand. They can also double as a stand to prop up your phone to watch videos and TV.
If your hands are throbbing after a long day of screen time, stretch them out daily. Flex the wrist by tilting your palm toward and away from you, pulling and pushing down with the other hand. O'Shaughnessy also recommended flexing each of the fingers and making small circles with your thumbs.
For pain at the base of the thumb, you can place your hand on a flat surface and pull the thumb away from the other fingers, holding that for about 30 seconds.
If the aches, numbing or tingling persist even after limiting screen time and using remedies like ibuprofen or ice, see a doctor to see if it could be something more serious.
Constant phone use can exacerbate thumb arthritis or cause De Quervain's tenosynovitis — sharp pain or swelling at the base of the thumb and wrist. It can also lead to carpal tunnel, caused by a pinched nerve. Trigger thumb, a painful catching in the thumb when you bend it, is caused by an inflamed tendon.
It's easy to get trapped in an endless cycle of scrolling and swiping. Taking a quick, intentional break to adjust posture can still make a difference.
“Our hands were not designed to use phones all day long,” said Dr. Eugene Tsai, a surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine. “In order for us to use the phones, we have to be kind to our hands.”
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
FILE - A person uses a smart phone in Chicago, Sept. 16, 2017. (AP Photo, File)
