Headline: Verstappen nails colours to Red Bull mast through 2028 — and hints at life beyond F1, maybe on two wheels
Max Verstappen has drawn a bold line under the rumour mill — for now. Fresh off a storming late-season charge that left him just two points shy of a fifth straight crown, the Red Bull star says he intends to see out his contract with the team through 2028, even as Formula 1 braces for the rulebook reset of 2026.
“I’m 28 now and I have a contract with Red Bull until 2028. I want to fulfil that contract,” he told Swiss outlet Blick. “At this point in time, I’m ruling out a change of team.”
That’ll calm a few nerves in Milton Keynes after mid-2025’s wobble reopened the door to fanciful Mercedes whispers. Verstappen, as ever, answered them the loudest way he knows: by racking up podiums at every round after the summer break and banking six wins in the run-in. He didn’t quite make it five titles on the bounce, but peers and team bosses still voted him driver of the year — a pretty emphatic nod from those who know.
The 2026 picture is where it gets interesting. New chassis. New aero philosophy. Heavier reliance on battery power. And for Red Bull, a first run with the in-house Red Bull Ford power unit. Verstappen’s commitment looks firm, but everyone understands the subtext: if the team stumbles when the sport pivots, silly season will come roaring back.
“It’s a shame that my friend and mentor Helmut Marko won’t be at my side in 2026,” Verstappen added, acknowledging the end of an era after the senior advisor stepped away post‑2025. “I’ll miss him.” It was Marko, of course, who took the heat for launching a 17-year-old Verstappen straight into F1. The return on that risk speaks for itself.
The Dutchman’s long game is just as clear-eyed. Racing into his forties like Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso? That’s a hard no. “You can bet on it,” Verstappen said when asked if he’ll hang up the helmet before 40. “At 40, I might still be standing in the pits as team principal in another series.”
That “other series” line isn’t idle talk. His GT3 squad is expanding, switching to Mercedes machinery for 2026 under a multi‑year deal, and he spent plenty of time hustling at the Nürburgring last year to earn his ‘Ring Licence, paving the way for a crack at the 24 Hours. “I enjoy adventures like that,” he said. “Because at some point, Formula 1 will no longer be an option for me – but other races will be. Even MotoGP can get me excited.”
Don’t expect a MotoGP debut to pop up on the FIA calendar anytime soon, but the tease says something about where his head’s at: still razor‑sharp about the day job, already sketching the outline of what comes next.
In the meantime there’s a new intra‑team dynamic brewing. Isack Hadjar steps up to partner Verstappen in 2026 after impressing in his rookie season with Racing Bulls. A big leap, a bigger spotlight — and a fascinating measure of Red Bull’s conveyor belt in a year when the organisation will be testing itself on multiple fronts without Marko’s presence.
Verstappen’s stance, then, is simple. He’s in, he’s staying, and he’s not planning a Vettel‑style paddock farewell tour in his early forties. Red Bull know the score: deliver a car that sings under the 2026 regulations and the rest takes care of itself. Miss, and the grid will try its luck again.
For now, the most coveted signature in the sport remains locked in. The clock, as ever in F1, is ticking toward the next unknown.
