‘It’s time to basically stop all the rumours’ – Verstappen confirms he’s ‘staying’ with Red Bull for 2026

Max Verstappen has confirmed that he will remain with Red Bull for the 2026 season ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, after months of speculation that he could join Mercedes.

The four-time and reigning World Champion's future has been one of the hottest topics in the Formula 1 paddock this campaign, with it confirmed by Mercedes Team Principal Toto Wolff several weeks ago that he was having conversations with Verstappen about a drive for the Silver Arrows.

At the previous round in Belgium, though, Wolff stated that after recent developments he would prefer to retain his current line-up of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell but fell short of any official confirmation.

Ahead of this weekend's race in Budapest and a three-week summer break, Verstappen was asked whether his and Wolff's yachts would be spending time together, hinting at ongoing negations between the pair.

But the 27-year-old dismissed the suggestion and confirmed he would be staying put with the Milton Keynes-based outfit for next season.

"The thing is, people are waffling so much throughout the whole season while the only one that actually can or should speak is not speaking," he said.

"That's me, and I do that on purpose because it makes no sense to start throwing things around and actually that should be the same for everyone.

"Some people just like to stir the pot, some people just like to create drama but for me it's always been quite clear and also for next year.

"I'm discussing with the team already the plans, the things that we want to change next year so that means I'm also staying with the team for next year and if my boat is next to Toto's then the boat is next to Toto's.

"You can have a personal relationship with someone even if you don't have a working relationship with someone."

He added to media: "I think it's time to basically stop all the rumours, and for me it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway."

Verstappen will remain at Red Bull as F1 enters a new technical regulation era in 2026, which incudes both changes to the chassis and power units.

The team has recently come under new leadership as long-term Team Principal Christian Horner was replaced by Laurent Mekies ahead of the Belgium Grand Prix.

Despite only a limited amount of time in the role, Verstappen praised the new appointment and believes Mekies will drive the team forward.

"We discuss about a lot of things to be honest," said Verstappen. "He's very friendly, he's very open, very motivated, very driven.

"That's of course what you want to see from a boss and I like it. It's a nice atmosphere that he is creating and I'm very excited for the future, what we can do together.

"Of course, for this year the amount of influence with the car is difficult. You jump in the middle of the season but of course for the future, you have a lot more say and influence on that. He's asking, for me at least, the right questions and ideas. I like it."