Max Verstappen swerved questions about his Formula 1 future on Thursday, saying he is taking things “race by race” with Red Bull as the team works to develop its car ahead of this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix.
Twelve months after declaring he was staying with the team for 2026, the four-time world champion offered no clear response about his plans this time. “I feel good and from my side what I’m saying – that there’s nothing to say – is because there’s nothing going on,” the Dutch driver said.
Verstappen framed his focus as purely performance-based, describing the challenge of extracting pace from the current package as demanding enough without adding speculation about what comes next.
Verstappen: Focus is on the car, not the contract
Looking ahead to the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Verstappen said his priority is trying to maximise what Red Bull currently has. “For me, I am just focused on trying to get the most from the car and that’s already complicated enough to deal with,” he said.
He also reiterated his connection to the team while underlining the competitive goal that remains central to his thinking. “That’s what I’m doing. This team is like a second family to me and of course I want to understand our car a bit better and get back to winning,” Verstappen added.
In the broader context of the season, Verstappen is currently seventh in the drivers’ standings, a position that has helped fuel ongoing discussion about his longer-term outlook. However, his comments on Thursday emphasised that his attention is on the immediate process of improving performance rather than addressing future scenarios.
Verstappen said he believes Red Bull are moving in the right direction, even if the progress has not been consistent from weekend to weekend. “We’re still trying to understand the basics of the car. Some weekends, the performance has been a bit more straightforward. Sometimes we have a few issues. But it’s an upward trend,” he said.
He also pointed to how quickly the competitive picture can change when rivals introduce upgrades, highlighting why he prefers to evaluate things one event at a time. “If someone comes with an upgrade and it’s two-tenths or three-tents, it looks a bit different and so we have to take it race by race really,” Verstappen said.
Why the speculation persists
The report notes Verstappen has a performance clause in his contract that is believed to allow him to leave if he is not a title contender. That detail has kept the spotlight on his future whenever results and standings do not align with championship expectations.
At the same time, the story describes Formula 1 as being in a transitional new “hybrid era,” and suggests there are no clearly more attractive seats available for him next year. It adds that Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren have all made clear they are happy with and retaining their drivers.
Verstappen has also previously said he might consider leaving F1 if he was not enjoying the racing experience anymore, another factor that continues to feed debate around his long-term intentions.
Hungarian GP weekend now the immediate priority
For now, Verstappen’s message ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix is that the next race is the only focus. With Red Bull still working to better understand the “basics” of the car and with performance fluctuating across weekends, Verstappen is framing the season as an ongoing development effort where small gains—or rivals’ upgrades—can quickly reshape expectations.
His stance on Thursday was clear: he is not offering fresh declarations about what comes after, and he is keeping his attention on improving the car and trying to return to winning form.
