Lando Norris and George Russell insist: No fear of Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen’s future was a recurring topic of discussion in the Formula 1 paddock last season and during the first half of 2026. Various Grand Prix experts and reporters offered widely differing answers to the question of what the Red Bull Racing star would do after this year.

Whilst some regulars in the paddock believed that the Dutchman’s criticism of the new rules and the way the current generation of cars has to be driven was a sign that he was set to take a break from Formula 1. Others were certain, based on information from the best of sources, that Verstappen would be moving to the Mercedes works team or the historic McLaren team.

In the end, none of them were right: Verstappen agreed to stay with Red Bull Racing – and even extended his contract until the end of 2030. The 28-year-old explained this by saying that he feels at home with the Milton Keynes-based team and regards them as his second family.

Just how relieved are the competitors that this exceptional talent has decided to remain loyal to his team? “For us, it was only ever an issue when we were asked about it by the media,” explained George Russell, for example. The Mercedes driver continued: “Within the Mercedes team, it was always very clear what the reality was.”

No fear of strong team-mates

“The discussions between his management and our team were perhaps more visible to the public than those with McLaren or perhaps even Ferrari – or whichever team they were talking to. Because that’s perfectly normal in this sport: drivers talk to different teams, and teams talk to different drivers. Everyone wants to see what opportunities are available to them. But it never felt as though my seat was in jeopardy; I was 100 per cent certain, along with Toto Wolff and the whole team, that we were on the same page,” the Briton insisted.

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World Champion Lando Norris also played it down: “I never heard any more about it than you did,” he explained to the assembled media. “But of course I’d welcome anyone as my team-mate, and naturally it would always be great to have a driver like him on board – someone who’s so talented and has already won so many world titles. It would be brilliant if that happened one day. But I know that nothing’s going to change for the time being.”