Max Verstappen confirms he is staying at Red Bull

Max Verstappen has confirmed for the first time that he will stay with Red Bull – after George Russell admitted he is on the brink of a new Mercedes contract.

Verstappen’s break clause from his Red Bull deal can no longer be activated, after his fourth-placed finish in Belgium last Sunday ensured he will not be lower than third in the world championship at the summer break which follows this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.

Asked at the Hungaroring if he can say for certain that he will be at Red Bull in 2026, Verstappen replied: “Yes. I never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about improving our performance, future ideas and next year and that is why I had nothing really to add.

“But I think it is time to stop all the rumours. For me, it was always quite clear that I was staying anyway and that was the general feeling in the team because we were always in discussion about what we could do with the car and when you’re not interested in staying, you stop talking about these kind of things, and I never did.”

Until Thursday, Verstappen, third in the world championship and 81 points off the title pace, had been reluctant to confirm he will drive for Red Bull beyond this year despite having a contract for another three-and-a-half years.

His announcement here comes 23 days after Christian Horner discovered he had been ousted as Red Bull team principal and CEO.

Verstappen’s father, Jos, inside the Red Bull hospitality suite on Thursday when his son ended speculation over his future for 2026, claimed at the beginning of last year Red Bull would “explode” if Horner stayed.

Verstappen added on Sky Sports: “Some people just like to stir the pot and some people just like to create drama,