After weeks of swirling rumors and cryptic silence, Max Verstappen has officially confirmed what Red Bull Racing fans have been desperate to hear: he will be staying with the team in 2026.
The four-time world champion, who has been at the center of Formula 1’s silly-season chatter for much of the summer, finally put the speculation to bed ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
And in classic Verstappen style, he did it with calm confidence – and a hint of “I told you so".
“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, future ideas for next year as well, and that's why I had nothing really to add,” Verstappen told the media in Budapest.
“But 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.”
The confirmation arrives after a few weeks of fuel being poured onto the fire – not least by Mercedes driver George Russell, who openly admitted that the Silver Arrows had spoken to Verstappen’s camp about 2026.
Add to that the known presence of exit clauses in Verstappen’s long-term contract – clauses reportedly tied to his championship standing – and you had a recipe for F1’s latest power-play drama.
However, Verstappen’s fourth-place finish at the Belgian Grand Prix ensured he’s now locked into the top three of the championship standings, effectively neutralizing those contractual escape hatches for 2026.
Committed to Red Bull's Cause
Far from acting like a man with one foot out the door, Verstappen made clear that his conversations with Red Bull never hinted at a departure.
“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,” he explained.
“And when you're not interested in staying, then you also stop talking about these kind of things – and I never did.”
So, despite a few headline-grabbing whispers – and a grid full of teams dreaming about a Verstappen-led reset for the sport’s 2026 regulation overhaul – the reigning world champion is keeping it simple: he’s staying put.
And with Red Bull already plotting their next phase of domination, the message from Max is clear: don’t count him out – or anywhere else – anytime soon.
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