F1 News: Marko confirms Verstappen to stay, Russell close to huge Merc deal
(GMM) Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull for the 2026 season, ending months of speculation about a possible switch to Mercedes.
“Yes, I can confirm that Max Verstappen will drive for Red Bull in 2026,” Dr Helmut Marko told Sport.de and RTL/ntv on Monday, backing up widespread paddock reports and a De Telegraaf story that Verstappen’s exit clause is no longer valid now that he is guaranteed a top-three championship position by the summer break.
The decision all but solidifies George Russell’s place at Mercedes, with The Sun reporting the Briton is now “on the verge” of a new 30 million pound per year deal. The final terms are still being finalized, but the agreement is expected to be announced after the August break.
Mercedes had been increasingly linked with Verstappen as team boss Toto Wolff’s interest intensified. But Verstappen’s commitment, combined with Christian Horner’s removal from Red Bull, appears to have closed that door.
Sky Deutschland pundit Ralf Schumacher believes the power struggle at Red Bull was ultimately Horner’s undoing.
“He gained power, wanted to seize it, and made decisions. In the end, he failed because of the Icarus syndrome; he flew too high and wanted too much,” Schumacher said.
Marko, however, denied any Verstappen ultimatum was involved in Horner’s dismissal.
“The decision to fire Horner was made by the management, or more precisely by CEO Oliver Mintzlaff,” he told ORF. “Various factors played a role, but above all the team’s sporting performance did not meet our expectations.”
“Max Verstappen and his father have nothing to do with this decision. There is no Verstappen faction in the team,” he added. “Previously, Horner controlled everything, which left us inferior in some areas.”
Marko said new team boss Laurent Mekies will focus exclusively on on-track performance, while other Red Bull departments will be divided among dedicated managers to improve efficiency across the 2,000-strong Milton Keynes operation.
Red Bull introduced a car update at Spa and has another one planned for this weekend in Budapest, but Verstappen admitted they are still struggling to match McLaren.
“He’s right,” Marko acknowledged to Motorsport-Magazin.com. “We’re not giving up, although the solution is proving quite difficult.”
Meanwhile, former world champion Nico Rosberg issued a warning to Russell about the final stages of contract negotiations with Wolff.
“Toto is terrible to negotiate with because his tactic is to disappear,” Rosberg told Sky. “George might try to text Toto to get him to move on or something like that, but Toto will disappear. He’ll see the message preview, but he won’t open it.
“That was his style – to disappear, not to answer, and it is terrible.”