Today at 07:25
Former F1 driver Martin Brundle has defended Max Verstappen
sticking with Red Bull next season, describing it as "absolutely"
the right call whilst criticising the "clickbait" rumours. On
media day ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, the four-time world
champion confirmed he will race for Red Bull next season. The
Dutchman had been heavily linked to Mercedes; however, a contract
exit clause for the summer has become void, due to Verstappen not
being able to enter the break any lower than third in the
standings. Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and George Russell revealed
talks with Verstappen had taken place, whilst it was rumoured that
the Red Bull star met Wolff in Sardinia. Verstappen's and Wolff's
yachts were spotted ahead of the Belgian GP docked alongside each
other in Sardinia, leading to rumours of a meeting. The rumour was
quickly deemed to be clickbait, with Brundle noting that if the duo
wanted to meet it could have easily happened in Monaco – where both
individuals live. Asked if Verstappen sticking with Red Bull for
2026 is the right call, Brundle told Sky F1 : "Absolutely. Red Bull
were never going to play the card with Christian Horner without
ensuring that it meant Max was going to stay. "So that was as
clear as day. Max has chosen, on a number of occasions not to
confirm anything where he's going. Of course, the whole nonsense
about yachts and holidays, they all live in Monaco. "They only
need to cross the street if they want to have a chat about a
contract. So that all got brewed up on the internet and the
clickbait. But I think what Max will do now is take a view, see
what happens." Verstappen's 2027 options Whilst Verstappen will
continue with Red Bull next season, there remains significant
uncertainty on what will happen for 2027. Next year represents the
first of the new power unit regulations, with several drivers set
to find themselves with an expired contract at the end of 2026. As
a result, Verstappen will likely have all the big teams, except
McLaren, to choose from for a move away from Red Bull, should the
Austrian outfit struggle as a powertrain supplier. "The crystal
ball has never been more opaque for a Formula 1 driver because of
the changes with the chassis and the power unit for 2026. Who's
going to get it right?" asked Brundle. "He knows that there will be
a Ferrari seat, at least a Mercedes seat, a Red Bull seat, and
probably an Aston Martin seat available to him for '27."
