With an excellent third place behind the indomitable McLarens in the Hungarian Grand Prix, Mercedes showed that they have located and solved the problems of the past few months, in contrast to Red Bull Racing,

Rumors continued to simmer until two days ago, when Red Bull team advisor Helmut Marko confirmed his expectation that Verstappen would be back in 2026. ESPN's Nate Saunders reported an exit clause in Verstappen's contract came and went, too, making it more likely he'd stay put.

Ex-F1 driver and pundit Johnny Herbert has weighed in on Max Verstappen’s decision to stay with Red Bull for the 2026 season.