Max Verstappen confirms he is staying at Red Bull
Asked at the Hungaroring if he can say for certain that he will be at Red Bull in 2026, Verstappen replied: 'Yes. I never really said anything about it because I was just focused on talking to the team about improving our performance, future ideas and next year and that is why I had nothing really to add.
'But I think it is time to stop all the rumours. For me, it was always quite clear that I was staying anyway and that was the general feeling in the team because we were always in discussion about what we could do with the car and when you're not interested in staying, you stop talking about these kind of things, and I never did.'
Until Thursday, Verstappen, third in the world championship and 81 points off the title pace, had been reluctant to confirm he will drive for Red Bull beyond this year despite having a contract for another three-and-a-half years.
His announcement here comes 23 days after Christian Horner discovered he had been ousted as Red Bull team principal and CEO.
Verstappen's father, Jos, inside the Red Bull hospitality suite on Thursday when his son ended speculation over his future for 2026, claimed at the beginning of last year Red Bull would 'explode' if Horner stayed.
Verstappen added on Sky Sports: 'Some people just like to stir the pot and some people just like to create drama, but for me (the future) it has always been quite clear.'
Mercedes have made little secret of their desire to sign the four-time world champion. As it stands, Russell – who despite a series of impressive performances this year – is without a deal for 2026.
Speaking prior to Verstappen, Russell, who it is understood has received a contract offer from Mercedes in the past week, said: 'Conversations have started. We are now heading into the summer break.
'I have spoken a lot with (Mercedes CEO and team principal) Toto (Wolff) this week, but we have not spoken once about the contract because we are both trying to solve the performance and getting the team in the right place. And that is genuine.
'I want to go into the summer break and enjoy the only two weeks off I have in the year. I don't want to be thinking about contracts.
'And there isn't really a major time pressure now from my side, nor from Mercedes' side, because of the Verstappen situation and I presume he is staying at Red Bull.
'Not that I was ever concerned about that but from the team's perspective I guess that has an impact.
'From my side, I was never concerned I was going to lose my seat. I want to go into this weekend and try and get the team back on track and perform better than we have shown at the past six races. Then I am going to go straight on holiday for two weeks and do a week's training and I want to enjoy that to be honest.'
It was then put to Russell, 27, that he will be driving for Mercedes next season, but it is now just a question of how his contract looks. He replied: 'Yes, I guess so.'
Despite the continued speculation surrounding suggestions Verstappen could trade Red Bull for Mercedes, those close to the Russell camp have indicated for a number of weeks the 27-year-old is extremely confident of striking a contract extension.
Russell has scored 157 points to rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli's 63 after 13 of the 24 rounds. Mercedes are third in the constructors' standings, 296 points adrift of McLaren.
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