Max Verstappen signs new contract with Red Bull | The National
The National · The National · 2026-08-20T07:13:52+00:00 · nguồn gốc
Max Verstappen has signed a new contract with Red Bull, ending months of speculation about the Dutchman's Formula One future.
The four-time world champion has been linked with a move to reigning constructors' champions McLaren and Mercedes.
The 28-year-old was set to be out of contract in 2028, but his new deal takes him up to the end of the 2030 season.
Clauses in his previous contract allowed him to leave at the end of the current season , had he wanted to.
"We have the best people and I'm excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again," said Verstappen.
"This remains the ultimate goal that all of us have been working towards and will continue to pursue.
"I have always said it: the team is like a second family for me and I feel very at home.
"I came to the team hoping to be able to win races. What we went on to achieve together has been simply lovely and we have shared many incredible moments and won four World Championships.
"To continue this journey with the same team that I have been with my whole career is really special and something I have always wanted to do."
Verstappen's new deal keeps him in the sport for the first campaign of the next regulatory set.
Verstappen has been highly critical of the new power unit regulations so far this season.
Red Bull have had a difficult start to the 2026 season.
His best results have been two second places, in the Austrian and Hungarian grands prix. He missed out on last year's world championship to McLaren's Lando Norris.
Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies said: "Having Max continue with us and retaining the best driver on the grid is fantastic news.
"Very few partnerships in sport achieve what Max and this team have. Since the very beginning, Max has embodied everything that makes Red Bull Racing special: uncompromising competitiveness, relentless determination and the courage to challenge convention."
The announcement coincides with Verstappen's final home race this weekend, before the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort is removed from the F1 calendar.
Verstappen has won 71 grands prix for Red Bull alongside his four world titles, with his tally of race victories ranking third in all-time F1 history after Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher.