Max Verstappen Will Stay At Red Bull In 2026 According To Red Bull Advisor
The confirmation comes after months of rumors that Verstappen could exit the team before the end of his contract
Well, it looks like we can put the speculation to bed: according to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, four-time world champion Max Verstappen will race for the team in 2026 after rumors swirled all season that the Dutchman was gearing up for a blockbuster move to Red Bull's arch rival, Mercedes.
"Yes, I can confirm that Max Verstappen will drive for Red Bull in 2026," Marko said in an interview with Germany's Sport.de, per ESPN.
This goes along with reports that the performance clause in Verstappen's deal — which would give him the power to leave the team before his contract expires — hinged on him being P4 or lower in the standings by the Hungarian Grand Prix, which is this weekend.
Verstappen is currently in P3, 28 points ahead of Mercedes' George Russell. This means that even if Verstappen has a DNF and Russell wins the race, the Dutch driver would still be three points clear and would stay in P3, rendering that performance clause obsolete.
At least for this season.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has confirmed that Max Verstappen will race for the team in 2026. (Photo by Nicolas Economou/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
This news could put the rest of the Formula 1 driver market for the 2026 season and beyond in motion, because a Verstappen move to Mercedes would've likely meant that George Russell — whose current deal expires at the end of this season — would need a new team.
However, with Verstappen staying put, it stands to reason that Mercedes will re-up with Russell (if they can agree to a deal) and keep him off the market.
That should trigger some other decisions for teams that need a driver or two for 2026, and that includes Cadillac, which has reportedly narrowed it down to Sergio Perez, Valtteri Bottas, Mick Schumacher, and F2 championship contender Jak Crawford, but there may be others in the mix as well.
If Russell had become available (which is still a possibility, just less so if Verstappen is staying put), you'd have to think Cadillac would at least kick the tires on him to take one of the seats in their maiden lineup.