27/06/2025 09:15
Max Verstappen has refused to say whether he will be a Red Bull
driver in 2026 as speculation about his future rages on. Although
he has a contract with the team until the end of the 2028 season,
Verstappen's long-term future is in doubt, with Mercedes and Aston
Martin both keen to sign him. The Dutchman, who recently became a
father for the first time, could also opt for a sabbatical or
retirement. Mercedes' George Russell believes that the delay in
re-negotiating his own contract could be due to the fact that the
team is speaking with Verstappen, with Toto Wolff a long-time
admirer of the four-time champion. In 2024, Verstappen was asked if
he would be at Red Bull "next year", meaning for 2025 which proved
the case after a tumultuous start to the year for the team,
including severe tensions between boss Christian Horner and
Verstappen's father, Jos. Motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has
indicated that Verstappen will stay for the first year of F1's new
rules, but when directly asked to confirm this, Verstappen did not
give an affirmative answer. "I've had that question before as well
in my life," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365 , when
simply asked if he would be driving for Red Bull in 2026. "I don't
think we need to talk about that. I don't know, do you want me to
repeat what I said last year? I don't know. It's the same answer.
"I don't even remember what I said last year, really. But again,
it's not really on my mind. "I'm just driving well, trying to push
the performance, and then we focus on next year." As for 2026,
Verstappen feels Red Bull's approach to start switching focus over
to the looming rules reset has been the correct decision. "I think
teams are already focusing on 2026, so you will try to get some
more performance out of this car," he explained. "It has already
been planned for a while, the steps that will come, but at the same
time, 2026 is a big opportunity to get things right. "From what
I've seen, what I've heard, it has been the right approach by the
team."
