BREAKING: Verstappen confirms where he will race in F1 in 2026!

After a recent run of increased speculation regarding his future, Max Verstappen himself has cleared the air on his immediate F1 future: throwing in his allegiance with Red Bull Racing.

Red Bull chief advisor recently confirmed it on his side as well. Speaking to German media the Austrian stated that the 4-time world champion would throw in his luck with the Austrian team come next season as well.

Since George Russell blew the lid off the pot in Austria revealing Mercedes and Verstappen were in conversation, many jumped in to speculate on a potential transfer for the Dutchman from Red Bull to Mercedes.

The speculation mounted with the German team's principal and CEO Toto Wolff disclosing his interest in attracting Verstappen to his team, something Helmut Marko was not entirely thrilled about.

No Mercedes for Verstappen in 2026: The F1 champion stays with Red Bull

Now Max Verstappen himself in conversation with the likes of GPblog at the Hungaroring confirms the news himself. "Time to stop the rumours: my intention was always to stay."

Verstappen reacted to his confirmation as a Red Bull Racing driver, putting to bed all the rumours that he would jump ship to Mercedes, saying that 'it was always clear to me that I was staying.'

The decision, however, must not come as a shock. Although Red Bull Racing may not be up to McLaren's standards currently, his permanence at the Austrian team makes perfect sense, here's why.

His decision however, does have its perks for another F1 driver. George Russell's future had been brought into question as a Mercedes driver, given that the rumours that put Verstappen at the German team, took the Briton out of it. Russell, however, can now breathe easy following Verstappen's decision.

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