After months of speculation, Max Verstappen has confirmed he will remain with Red Bull for the 2026 Formula One season.
Verstappen, who has won the last four world championships with Red Bull, had been linked with a sensational switch to rivals Mercedes.
The rumours came after Red Bull's plateau in performance in 2025, which leaves the Dutchman 81 points adrift of Oscar Piastri in the drivers' championship standings.
Red Bull are also 324 points behind McLaren in the constructors' in a whirlwind season that has seen them replace team principal Christian Horner and driver Liam Lawson.
Verstappen's current contract with Red Bull is due to expire in 2028, with Mercedes chief Toto Wolff expressing his interest in bringing in the 27-year-old.
And amid growing speculation, Verstappen confirmed ahead of this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix that he will remain with the team next year.
"The thing is always that people are waffling so much throughout the whole season, while the only one that actually can or should speak is not speaking. That's me," he said.
"And I do that on purpose because it makes no sense to start throwing things around, and actually that should be the same for everyone.
"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.
"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 weekend's race will see Verstappen contest his 200th grand prix for Red Bull in F1, a record that only Lewis Hamilton with Mercedes (246) has achieved among all drivers in the history of the competition for the same team.
He has dominated the grid for the last three years after claiming his maiden world title in 2021, sending a series of records tumbling along the way.
Verstappen led the drivers' championship standings for 63 consecutive races between the Spanish Grand Prix in 2022 and the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2024.
That is the longest run in F1 history, while he also holds the record for the most consecutive wins, triumphing in 10 straight races between Miami and Italy in 2023.
His 19 victories in 22 races in 2023 are the most by any driver in a single season, while his 15 wins in 2022 are also the second-most in any F1 campaign.
Verstappen's Red Bull journey began at the Spanish Grand Prix in 2016, where, at 18 years, seven months and 15 days old, he became the youngest driver to win a race in F1.
