Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko accuses Toto Wolff of fuelling rumours about a possible Mercedes switch for Max Verstappen. The advisor is relieved that the ‘irritating’ speculations are now coming to an end, with his own confirmation that the world champion will remain with Red Bull until 2026. For Marko, however, it was always clear that Verstappen would stay with the team.
Max Verstappen will remain with Red Bull until 2026. This was confirmed by advisor Helmut Marko on the Monday preceding the Hungarian GP. “Max Verstappen will be driving for Red Bull in 2026,” the Austrian told RTL/ntv and sport.de. It was previously revealed that the so-called ‘exit clause’ in the Dutchman’s contract, which runs until 2028, was no longer valid after the race in Spa-Francorchamps.
This is particularly bad news for Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. The Austrian team boss has made no secret of his desire to bring Verstappen to Mercedes in the past. According to Marko, Wolff ‘fueled’ the rumours about a possible Mercedes switch for the world champion. “That was quite annoying,” Marko honestly tells Kronen Zeitung. “Everyone thought they knew better about the exit clause than we at Red Bull did. That was all somewhat fueled by Toto.”
2026
However, Marko himself never doubted where Verstappen would be driving next year. “That was always clear to me,” the advisor continues. “It would have been foolish for Max to switch teams in 2026. After all, no one knows who will have the best engine or the best chassis by then,” Marko refers to the new 2026 regulations. “A lot can go wrong in many areas. If I were Verstappen, I would also wait and see before making a decision.”
