8 hours Ago
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has confirmed that Max Verstappen will continue racing for them in 2026, while adding that there is no brewing crisis in the Formula One team ahead of the weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Rumours have been rife about Verstappen's future in the setup after Red Bull's motorsport consultant Helmut Marko expresses concerns about Verstappen's exercising exit clauses and leaving the team, with Mercedes and Aston Martin emerging as the key candidates to land the Dutchman. "There’s been a lot of noise outside of the team," Horner told Sky Sports television at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah.
"Max reaffirmed his commitment yesterday. We are focused on making the car go faster, that’s where our focus is. Max is a part of that, he’s a committed member of the team.
The rest is all speculation." Horner was probed whether Verstappen was not thinking about his future either, to which he responded, "Yes, absolutely". "People will always have their concerns.
As a team we are focused on sorting the car out. Sort the car out and it doesn’t even become a discussion point." Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport suggested without citing any sources htat Aston Martin were prepared offer Verstappen $88 million a year for three years.
The team is controlled by Canadian billionaire Lawrence Stroll, and they have Saudi energy behemoth Aramco as their title sponsor. They have taken Red Bull's top designer Adrian Newey away from them and Honda is also switching to them next year. Verstappen has a contract running till 2028, subject to exit clauses, and has been previously linked to Mercedes since Lewis Hamilton left for Ferrari.
McLaren boss Zak Brown had revealed last year that he was anticipating the four-time world champion to join Mercedes, but the team's strategy head James Vowles, now leading Williams, is not confident about the same. "(Verstappen winning in) Japan was for me jaw-dropping, well done to him, but he comes with a lot of downsides as well that you have to acknowledge," he told reporters over brunch. "And I think what Mercedes does have is a great culture with two drivers that are delivering near to the peak of the car and with one that's on the way up.
"So I personally don't think there's a place for (Verstappen).".
