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.

Verstappen has reportedly failed to trigger an exit clause in his contract, and Helmut Marko is telling the press that the star driver is staying put.

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