Latest news with #TotoWolff
The Drive
9 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Drive
Max Verstappen Is Staying With Red Bull for 2026, 'Stop All The Rumors'
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The Champ isn't leaving Red Bull. On Thursday, just before the upcoming race in Budapest that leads into a three-week summer break, Max Verstappen told the media, 'I think it's time to basically stop all the rumors, and for me it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyways.' The 27-year-old four-time and reigning World Champion seemed frustrated at all the speculation of his departure, possibly to Mercedes. '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,' Verstappen said. The frustration with the rumor mill didn't stop there. Verstappen noted that people are 'waffling' so much during the season when the only person that can or should speak isn't speaking, which is him. He noted that's on purpose because it makes no sense to start throwing things around, and 'that should be the same for everyone.' Verstappen noted that someone can have a personal relationship with someone (referring to Mercedes' Toto) even if you don't have a working relationship. The World Champion noted he's already discussing plans and things they want to change for the RBR race car next year. 'If my boat is next to Toto's then the boat is next to Toto's,' Verstappen said. Verstappen's confirmation of the 2026 season comes after Red Bull Racing fired team principal Christian Horner earlier in the month. And hours after Ferrari confirmed it had renewed a contract with team principal Fred Vasseur. Got a tip? Email us at tips@
CNN
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- CNN
Max Verstappen confirms he will stay at Red Bull next season, ending speculation over near future
Max Verstappen has confirmed he will remain with Red Bull for the 2026 Formula One season, ending speculation over his future with the team for the time being. Where the Dutch driver would be plying his craft next season has been the subject of much speculation for months, with Verstappen being heavily linked with Mercedes despite having a contract with Red Bull until 2028. But the four-time reigning world champion ended the talk over his short-term future, confirming that he'll remain with Red Bull next year while speaking ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. '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,' Verstappen told reporters on Thursday, per the Associated Press. 'I'm discussing with the team already the plans – the things that we want to change for next year, so that means that I'm also staying with the team for next year.' This season has been one of big change at Red Bull already, with long-time team principal Christian Horner being fired earlier this month after 20 successful years with the team. Despite speculation Verstappen might leave, Horner had remained steadfast in his belief that the 27-year-old would stay with the team. Horner's assertions did little to stop the rumor mill though, with questions over Verstappen's future not dissipating amid reported interested from Mercedes. Those rumors were fueled when the yachts of Verstappen and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff were spotted near one another in Sardinia, although the Dutchman was quick to shoot down speculation. 'If my boat is next to Toto's, then the boat is next to Toto's,' Verstappen said on Thursday. 'You can have a personal relationship with someone even if you don't have a working relationship with someone.' But he has now put an end to any possible move, confirming his place with Red Bull in 2026. On the track, it's been an underwhelming F1 season for both the driver and Red Bull. Verstappen currently sits third in the drivers' championship standings, 81 points behind leader Oscar Piastri of McLaren, while Red Bull sits in fourth place in the constructor's standings behind McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes.
The Guardian
10 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Guardian
‘Stop the rumours': Max Verstappen confirms he will be with Red Bull in 2026
Max Verstappen has confirmed for the first time that he will stay with Red Bull after George Russell admitted he is on the brink of a new Mercedes contract. Verstappen's break clause from his Red Bull deal can no longer be activated, after his fourth-placed finish in Belgium last Sunday ensured he will not be lower than third in the world championship at the summer break which follows this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix. 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.' 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.
The Sun
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- The Sun
Max Verstappen finally confirms Red Bull decision just days after Christian Horner was ruthlessly sacked by F1 team
MAX VERSTAPPEN put the rumours to bed once for all and confirmed he is STAYING at Red Bull. The four-time Formula One world champion, whose deal runs until 2028, had previously held talks with Mercedes over a potential move with Red Bull struggling again this season. 2 2 Merc boss Toto Wolff confirmed the talks at the Austrian Grand Prix in June with Verstappen, 27, open to considering his future options. The Dutchman finished fourth in the Belgian Grand Prix last time out, meaning he can no longer trigger a release clause that relied on him being outside of the top three going into the summer break. Ahead of the Budapest Grand Prix, he said: "I mean, it's quite interesting to follow all that and the amount of nice stories that came out of it. "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. "I think it's time to basically stop all the rumours. "For me, it's always been quite clear that I was staying anyway." He continued: "That was also the general feeling in the team anyway, because we were always in discussions about what we could do with the car. "I think when you're not interested in staying, then you also stop talking about these kinds of things. "And I never did." Christian Horner was ruthlessly sacked by Red Bull two weeks ago, but Verstappen said in Spa that the 51-year-old's exit did not influence his future plans. Nico Rosberg in frosty exchange with Jos Verstappen over Christian Horner after Red Bull sacking
New York Times
11 hours ago
- Automotive
- New York Times
Max Verstappen: Time to stop all the rumors, I'll be racing for Red Bull in 2026
BUDAPEST, Hungary — Max Verstappen has confirmed he will race for Red Bull in Formula One next year, saying it is time to 'stop all the rumors' about his future with the team. Verstappen, 27, is under contract at Red Bull until 2028, but his future was a regular source of scrutiny in recent months amid continued links to Mercedes. Advertisement Verstappen previously dodged opportunities to firmly state that he would be racing for Red Bull next season, while Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff alluded to conversations talking place, albeit recognizing the chances of Verstappen making the switch for next year were very low. For the first time on Thursday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen firmly stated that he would be racing for Red Bull next year in a bid to stop the speculation. 'It's been quite interesting to follow all that, with all the nice stories that came out of it,' Verstappen told reporters at the Hungaroring. 'For me, I 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. That's why I had nothing really to add ever. 'But yeah, I think it's time to basically stop all the rumors. For me, it's always been quite clear I was staying anyway. I think that was also the general feeling in the team anyway. 'We were always in discussions about what we could do with the car, and I think when you're not interested in staying, you also stop talking about these kinds of things. And I never did.' Verstappen is guaranteed to head into F1's summer break after the Hungarian Grand Prix in the top three of the drivers' championship, given his 28-point buffer to Mercedes' George Russell in fourth place. This ensures that an escape clause in Verstappen's contract, which would have given him the ability to leave Red Bull had he not been in the top three of the championship at that point of the season, cannot be activated. But Verstappen has always been firm in his investment in the Red Bull project, having been brought into F1 as a 17-year-old with its sister team, then known as Toro Rosso. He was promoted into a Red Bull seat one year later, winning on debut for the team before going on to seal four world titles. Verstappen's future at Red Bull came into question last year amid turbulence behind the scenes at Red Bull, with then team principal Christian Horner facing an investigation after allegations of inappropriate behavior were made by a female employee. The grievance against Horner was dismissed, a decision upheld on appeal. Advertisement Horner was suddenly dismissed as Red Bull F1 boss after this year's British Grand Prix, with the team struggling for form and Verstappen losing ground on the McLaren drivers in the title race, leaving his hopes of defending his crown already all but over. Verstappen said last week that Horner's exit had no influence on his future, but he was upbeat about the first impressions of Laurent Mekies, Red Bull's new team principal. Although Verstappen's contract does run through to 2028, his future is likely to be another topic of conversation next year, particularly if Red Bull is unable to give him a car capable of contending for a world championship under the revised technical regulations. Asked if there would be more speculation about his future next summer, Verstappen replied: 'I don't know, if you ask me that question next year, then yes, we'll 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.' ()
