Yesterday at 11:05
Max Verstappen has fired a clear response to all the rumours which
linked him with a move to Mercedes, noting he felt that he did not
"need to say anything". For several rounds before the F1 summer
break, Verstappen's future was the lead talking point, due to
uncertainty over whether he would continue with Red Bull. Despite
being contracted to the Austrian outfit until at least the end of
2028, clauses in the Dutchman's deal created speculation that he
could possibly quit. It is understood Verstappen would have been
allowed to leave Red Bull if he was outside the top three in the
drivers' standings at some stage in the summer; however, that
clause recently became void due to having remained in third.
Mercedes was ready to pounce on any chance to swoop for the
four-time world champion, with George Russell having revealed on
media day at the Austrian GP that his own contract talks with the
Silver Arrows were being delayed due to talks with Red Bull's star.
Toto Wolff also later confirmed that conversations had been held
with the reigning world champion, resulting in Verstappen,
ultimately, announcing his commitment to Red Bull for 2026 in
Hungary. Throughout the period where rumours circulated like
wildfire, Verstappen remained very quiet on the topic, often
resulting in short answers which gave little away. With his future
now confirmed for the start of the new power unit regulations, the
27-year-old has opened up on why he opted against getting involved
in the paddock gossip. "Well, the thing is that there's always
other people speaking a lot, while I'm not really talking, because
first of all I don't need to, I don't need to say anything,"
Verstappen told F1.com. "I think that's also better for everyone,
instead of just waffling things around. "It makes no sense anyway,
it's a bit of a waste of time, but for me I'm very focused on '26
with the team, to look ahead and make sure that we nail the
regulations, and that we are competitive from the start."
