Max Verstappen brought an end to weeks of speculation regarding his future on Thursday when the reigning Formula One world champion announced that he would remain with Red Bull in 2026.
‘Time to Stop All the Rumours,’ Says Verstappen
Verstappen said it was time to “stop all the rumours”.
“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,” the Dutchman explained at the Hungaroring circuit ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
“And that’s why I had nothing really to add, but I think it’s time to basically stop all the rumours.
“For me, it’s always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.”
Performance Clause Triggered Talks, Now Expired
Four-time world champion Verstappen’s future had become a topic of speculation after rival driver George Russell announced his Mercedes team were in discussions with the Dutchman’s management regarding his plans for the future.
It came to light that there was a performance clause in the contract of Verstappen that gave him an opportunity to escape Red Bull if he wasn’t within the top three by the end of July.
That clause has now expired, however, and he will remain with Red Bull next year, the opening campaign after a radical overhaul of technical regulations.
Contract Runs Till 2028, Future Evaluations Expected
Verstappen is signed with Red Bull until the end of 2028 and a similar examination of his contract will come next season once it is known which teams have evolved and improved most under the new regulations.
Verstappen has dropped 81 points behind series leader McLaren’s Oscar Piastri to third in the drivers’ championship this season.
Red Bull are in transition, having already this month dismissed their team principal Christian Horner and replaced the Briton with Laurent Mekies, head of their ‘B’ team Racing Bulls.
