Max Verstappen has now confirmed that he will be staying with Red Bull for the foreseeable future. The Dutchman’s future has been a popular topic of speculation recently, following George Russell‘s revelation that Verstappen has indeed been in talks with Mercedes. However, according to the four-time world champion, there was never any doubt about his loyalty within Red Bull: ‘But I think it’s time to put all the rumors to rest.’
For months, there was speculation about Max Verstappen’s future in Formula 1, but that came to an end last week. Helmut Marko confirmed that the Dutchman will stay with Red Bull until 2026, after it had already been announced that Verstappen could no longer use a performance clause to get out of his contract after Spa-Francorchamps. Verstappen has now also confirmed his future in Hungary.
“I never really said anything about it because I preferred to have conversations with the team about how we could improve our performance. Ideas for next year. That’s why I didn’t really have anything to add,” the world champion tells the media in Hungary. “But I think it’s time to put all the rumors to rest. For me, it was always quite clear that I would stay anyway.”
Despite paddock rumors of a potential move to Mercedes for the Dutch driver, Red Bull knew the real story. “We were constantly discussing what we could do with the car. And if you’re not interested in staying with the team, you stop having those kinds of conversations. I never did that. But I never talk about it, because I’m more interested in improving performance. That’s why I never really talk about what’s in my contract.”
Looking Ahead to 2026
Verstappen also takes a moment to look ahead to the next season. In 2026, a new regulation will come into force in Formula 1. The upcoming significant changes pose a lot of questions for the entire grid. “No one really knows where they will stand next year,” Verstappen continues. “For us this year, realistically, it’s very difficult to compete with McLaren. I think it’s hard enough to compete with Ferrari and Mercedes.”
The Dutch driver, therefore, wants to use the rest of the current season mainly to learn a lot about the RB21 itself. “I think there are still many opportunities to learn more about the car and its behavior. Of course, I know that the cars will be different next year. However, there are still things you can take from this year in terms of engineering and apply next year. So you can’t just say, ‘Okay, we’re not winning the championship this year, so we’re just writing it off completely.'”
