Max Verstappen confirms Red Bull stay in 2026

At the end of a turbulent month for Red Bull that saw the departure of Christian Horner and persistent rumours of a potential switch to Mercedes for Max Verstappen, one of those stories appears to have calmed for the time being at least, with Verstappen himself confirming he will stay at the team in 2026.

The Dutch driver, who is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, made the comments ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

“It’s time to basically stop all the rumours”

Verstappen said ahead of Friday’s practice sessions: "I've never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about how we can improve our performance, future ideas for next year as well. And that's why I have nothing really to add ever.

"But yeah, I think it's time to basically stop all the rumours. And for me, it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.

"I think that was also the general feeling in the team anyway, because we were always in discussions about what we could do with the car. And I think when you're not interested in staying, then you also stop talking about these kind of things. And I never did."

For over a year, it had been the position of Christian Horner that was allegedly one of the decisions that could potentially influence the future of Verstappen at Red Bull. However, even after Horner’s departure, rumours of a switch to Mercedes persisted, with obsessed fans taking to private jet radar tracking sites to fuel gossip about a potential meeting between Verstappen and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff in Sardinia.

Verstappen dismissed these rumours at last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, where he was victorious in Saturday’s sprint race.

Russell and Antonelli now assured of 2026 positions

credit: Mercedes-Benz Media

Who Max Verstappen would have gone on to replace at Mercedes was the topic of much debate, with the majority suggesting that it would have been George Russell who would have had to step aside. This was despite Russell’s consistently solid performances for them since joining in 2022.

Antonelli, who became the third youngest driver in Formula One history when he made his debut at the start of this season, struggled to impress at last weekend’s race in Spa, finishing 17th in the sprint race and 16th in Sunday’s main race and appeared to be visibly emotional after disappointing qualifying sessions.

With the driver lineup at Mercedes seemingly now locked in for 2026, Russell says he will now use the upcoming three week break to mull over his future and potential contract negotiations.

Russell said: "Conversations have started, but we are now heading into the summer break."

"Toto and I have spoken a lot this week, but we haven't spoken once about the contract, because we're both trying to solve the car's performance and get the team in the right place. And that's genuine.

"And I personally want to go into the summer break and enjoy the only two weeks off I have in the year. I don't want to be thinking about contracts. And there isn't really a major time pressure now from my side, nor from Mercedes' side."

Verstappen and Chris Harris chat and drive new Ford Performance YouTube video

credit: Ford Performance

In a welcome change from the usual social media-driven content that F1 drivers are forced to take part in, Ford Performance released a new YouTube video featuring Max Verstappen and automotive journalist Chris Harris.

Picking up Verstappen in an iconic Ford RS200, Harris asked the four-time World Champion about how driving makes him feel, the intricacies of negotiating a hairpin corner, how he learns a new track, and the upcoming change in regulations in 2026, which Ford will be heavily involved in as part of Red Bull Ford Powertrains.

It was then Verstappen’s turn to drive, with the Dutch driver showcasing his skills behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GTD, which achieved the fourth fastest production sports car time around the Nürburgring at 6 minutes and 52 seconds.

To see two figures from different spectrums of the automotive world immediately click over a shared passion was refreshing to see, and Verstappen, who himself admits he isn’t keen on taking part in media duties, appeared to enjoy the experience.

words: Mike Booth