F1 champion Max Verstappen says he's staying with Red Bull team for 2026

Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen says he is staying with the Red Bull team next year, ending months of speculation over his future.

“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," the four-time champion said Thursday ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"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.”

Verstappen has a contract with Red Bull through 2028. At recent races he had deflected questions about whether he'd stay with the team next year, and there had been indications that a performance-related clause could allow him to exit the contract early. The details of any clause are not public.

His announcement brings some much-needed stability for Red Bull, less than a month after Christian Horner was removed from his role as Red Bull team principal after 20 years and replaced by Laurent Mekies. Verstappen last week dismissed the suggestion that Horner's firing would affect his decision on his future.

Red Bull is more dependent on Verstappen than any of F1's other leading teams are on any one driver. Of the 192 points Red Bull has scored this season, Verstappen contributed 185, while his teammate Yuki Tsunoda hasn't scored a point in the last six races.

Teams are also well underway with developing cars for the major rule changes coming in 2026, so it would have been especially disruptive if Verstappen left.

Mercedes driver George Russell had said he believed his team was holding talks with Verstappen, and speculation was further fueled by reports that Verstappen and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff's yachts were off the Italian island of Sardinia at the same time.

“If my boat is next to Toto’s, then the boat is next to Toto’s," Verstappen said Thursday. "You can have a personal relationship with someone even if you don’t have a working relationship with someone.”

With Verstappen out of the running for a Mercedes seat, it could speed up extensions for Russell and his 18-year-old rookie teammate Kimi Antonelli, who are not contracted beyond 2025.

Russell and Verstappen are the only non-McLaren drivers to win Grand Prix races this season, while Antonelli started his debut season strongly but has missed the points in the last three races.

Verstappen is heading into his 200th career race for Red Bull on Sunday, but it's not the first time the Dutch driver's future with the team has appeared uncertain. Last season, he confirmed his commitment to Red Bull in June after suggestions Mercedes could sign him to replace Lewis Hamilton, who was leaving for Ferrari at the time.

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Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands waves after crossing the finish line to win the sprint race ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands walks in the paddock ahead of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring racetrack in Mogyorod near Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Boglarka Bodnar/MTI via AP)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands walks in the paddock ahead of the Formula One Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring racetrack in Mogyorod near Budapest, Hungary, Thursday, July 31, 2025. (Boglarka Bodnar/MTI via AP)

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen of the Netherlands waves after crossing the finish line to win the sprint race ahead of the Formula One Grand Prix at the Spa-Francorchamps racetrack in Spa, Belgium, Saturday, July 26, 2025. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert)

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. military conducted a rapid response exercise involving Marines and military aircraft in Venezuela’s capital Saturday, over four months after the ouster of then-President Nicolás Maduro.

Two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft, which have characteristics of both a helicopter and a fixed-wing airplane, flew over the recently reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas. They landed in the parking lot with the downdraft blowing tree branches. Forces then descended from the aircraft.

“Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the embassy said on Instagram.

Venezuela’s government had announced the drill earlier this week. Foreign Minister Yván Gil said the U.S. would conduct the exercise to prepare “in the event of medical emergencies or catastrophic emergencies.”

The drill comes almost two months after the U.S. formally reopened its embassy in Caracas. The reopening followed the restoration of full diplomatic relations with the South American country after Maduro 's ouster in early January.

Some Caracas residents Saturday gathered near the embassy to watch the aircraft, while a few dozen others gathered elsewhere in the city to protest the exercise. Protesters held a Venezuelan flag with the message “No to the Yankee drill” written over it.

U.S. military aircraft last flew over Caracas on Jan. 3, when elite forces rappelled down from helicopters and captured Maduro and his wife. Both were taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges. They have pleaded not guilty.

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

A soldier looks down from a military aircraft as the U.S. Embassy holds an emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)

U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, May 23, 2026. (AP Photo/Pedro Mattey)