Verstappen is under contract at Red Bull until 2028, but his future was under scrutiny in recent months amid continued links to Mercedes

Max Verstappen has removed any lingering doubts by confirming he will continue with Red Bull Racing in 2026. But is staying put the smartest decision he can make?

Max Verstappen was comprehensively beaten by F1 rookie and Racing Bulls star Isack Hadjar during FP1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Hadjar set an impressive lap time to separate both Ferrari s and finish the first practice session in P4, while Verstappen could only manage ninth in his Red Bull.