Verstappen's comments quell any speculation that he's headed to Mercedes.
Max Verstappen isn’t going anywhere.
The reigning four-time Formula 1 champion said Thursday at the Hungaroring that he would not be leaving Red Bull Racing after the 2025 season. Verstappen’s future has been the subject of intense speculation as the team’s performance has dropped off since the second half of the 2024 season.
Verstappen had been linked with a potential switch to Mercedes if he got out of his Red Bull contract. However, Verstappen said Thursday(via the Athletic) that “it’s time to basically stop all the rumors. For me, it’s always been quite clear I was staying anyway.”
Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull is through the 2028 season but reportedly came with an out clause that could be triggered if he was fourth or lower in the driver’s standings after Sunday’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Verstappen is currently third in the points standings behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris and 28 points ahead of Mercedes’ George Russell.
With 25 points available for the winner this weekend, Verstappen will not fall out of the top three in the standings even if Russell wins and he finishes outside the points.
Verstappen’s comments should also quickly solidify Russell’s future at Mercedes. His contract is up at the end of the season and could have been considered the odd man out at Mercedes had Verstappen signed with the team. The team's other driver, Kimi Antonelli, is in his rookie season after he was promoted to replace Lewis Hamilton.
Don’t be surprised if Russell’s contract extension with the team comes together over the summer break. Russell has scored four wins over the last three seasons and would have had a fifth had he not been disqualified for a technical infraction after his victory in Spa a season ago.
With Verstappen's future now committed to the team, Red Bull will look for a much quieter second half of the 2025 season. Team principal Christian Horner was fired earlier this summer as Red Bull has struggled to find a driver who can keep up with Verstappen. The team parted ways with Sergio Perez at the end of 2024 and replaced Liam Lawson with Yuki Tsunoda after two races in 2025.
Even though Verstappen won a fourth driver's title in 2024, Red Bull finished third in the constructors standings to McLaren and Ferrari. With McLaren running away with the 2025 constructors title, Red Bull is fourth behind Ferrari and Mercedes as Verstappen has scored 185 of the team's 192 points.
Category: General Sports
