BUDAPEST, Hungary — Max Verstappen has confirmed he will remain at Red Bull next year, saying it is “time to stop all the rumours” about his future.
The reigning champion’s future has been the source of intense speculation in recent weeks after Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff made clear that Verstappen was still of interest to his team.
ESPN reported on Monday that an exit clause in Verstappen’s Red Bull contract would have allowed him to leave the team at the end of 2025 if he were fourth or lower in the championship after this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Following the Belgian Grand Prix this past Sunday, a race in which Verstappen finished fourth, he sits in third in the F1 standings and far enough ahead of fourth-place George Russell (28 points) that he cannot be caught in Hungary.
Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko told German media earlier this week that Verstappen would stay at the team next year, and the 27-year-old confirmed that in a news conference in Hungary on Thursday.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s quite interesting to follow all that and the amount of nice stories that came out of it,” Verstappen said. “But yeah, for me, I’ve never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about how we can improve our performance, future ideas for next year as well.
“And that’s why I have nothing really to add ever. But yeah, I think it’s time to stop all the rumours. And for me, it’s always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.
“I think that was also the general feeling in the team anyway, because we were always in discussions about what we could do with the car. And I think when you’re not interested in staying, then you also stop talking about these kinds of things. And I never did.”
Verstappen signed his current contract with Red Bull in 2022 to remain at the team until the end of the 2028 season.
Asked whether a similar level of speculation to this year was likely again next year, he added: “I don’t know. If you ask me that question next year, then yes, we will have that speculation!
“But for me, I never speak about it. Because I’m more interested in just working on the performance of things. That’s why I also never really talk about what is in my contract.”
The confirmation of Verstappen remaining at Red Bull follows the ousting of team principal Christian Horner following this month’s British Grand Prix.
Horner, who had been at the team since it first raced in F1 in 2005, has been replaced by former Racing Bulls team principal Laurent Mekies.
Verstappen said the arrival of Mekies — in a season in which his chances of defending his title have dwindled away — provided the team with an opportunity to reset and challenge some of the ways it has previously operated.
“Yeah, absolutely,” he said. “That’s always the case.
“Of course, it’s still very early days, but I do like how Laurent is working. Very motivated, constantly asking the right questions to me, but also to the team. It’s nice to see.
“This year it’s very difficult to see any kind of benefit from that, but I hope in the coming year, two years, that we can really see his touch to the team.
“I’m very excited for that.”
