Horner says Verstappen will be at Red Bull in 2026

JEDDAH :Max Verstappen will be racing for Red Bull next season and there is no crisis at the Formula One team, principal Christian Horner said on Friday as speculation swirled about the champion's future.

Rumours have swept the sport after Red Bull's motorsport consultant Helmut Marko expressed concern last weekend that the Dutch driver could trigger exit clauses and leave - with Mercedes and Aston Martin the main candidates.

"There’s been a lot of noise outside of the team," Horner told Sky Sports television at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.

"Max reaffirmed his commitment yesterday. We are focused on making the car go faster, that’s where our focus is. Max is a part of that, he’s a committed member of the team. The rest is all speculation."

Asked if the four-times champion, who said on Thursday he was not thinking about his future, would be racing for Red Bull next season, Horner replied: "Yes, absolutely".

"People will always have their concerns. As a team we are focused on sorting the car out. Sort the car out and it doesn’t even become a discussion point."

Italy's Gazzetta dello Sport newspaper suggested earlier, without any sourcing, that Aston Martin were ready to offer Verstappen $88 million a year for three years with Saudi funding.

The team, controlled by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, have Saudi energy giant Aramco as title sponsor and have taken top designer Adrian Newey from Red Bull with Honda also switching next year.

Aston Martin boss Andy Cowell told reporters the team were focused on 2026 with current pairing Fernando Alonso and Stroll's son Lance.

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Verstappen, who has a contract to 2028 subject to exit clauses, has also been linked to former champions Mercedes who have George Russell