Max Verstappen is now locked in at Red Bull for the 2026 Formula 1 season, with a performance clause that could have left him a free agent for 2026 no longer able to be activated.
Sources have long indicated to The Race that Verstappen's contract with Red Bull, which runs until 2028, does have break clauses in it that can be triggered if the four-time champion is outside of set positions in the standings by the summer break each year.
It is understood that for this season Verstappen had the right to initiate an exit clause for 2026 if he was outside the top three of the drivers' championship after the Hungarian Grand Prix.
But his points haul from the Belgian GP weekend, which included victory in the sprint race, means he now cannot be overhauled for third spot in the standings by the end of next weekend.
His nearest challenger, Mercedes' George Russell, is currently 28 points behind after failing to score in the Spa sprint and finishing fifth in the main race.
With only 25 points available for a race victory, and no extra bonus points on offer this season for fastest laps, it means that even if Russell wins in Hungary and Verstappen fails to score, that will not change their position in the championship.
Red Bull headache gone
While it was always likely that Verstappen would stay at Red Bull for 2026 irrespective of his place in the standings by the summer break, the confirmation that he is locked in will be a welcome boost to new team boss Laurent Mekies - as it will remove a potential short-term headache.
Had Verstappen fallen outside the top three, then it was not impossible that he could have requested a renegotiation of his contract for future years.
Verstappen has been consistently clear this season that his focus is on having the quickest car possible, and Red Bull's struggles have opened the door for his management team to speak to Mercedes about potential future opportunities there.
Mekies himself said that retaining Verstappen for the long term was all about ensuring that Red Bull produced the best possible car it could.
"In terms of priority, I'm sure Max wants a fast car," said Mekies. "If we get him a fast car, I'm sure it's cancelling out all the other considerations.
"So really, the focus is very much to try to get to know the team as quickly as possible, in order to see how we can support, how we can build the next step of competitiveness in order to get a fast car - and hence to make it an easy call for Max."
Speaking ahead of the Belgian GP, Verstappen himself had said: "In general I'm pretty happy where I'm at.
"And I hope, and that is still the target that we set out when we signed the new deal, that I will drive here until the end of my career."
Russell boost
A Verstappen move elsewhere for 2026 was always unlikely because the coming change of regulations means that the competitive picture is so uncertain for next year.
Nobody knows who will be fastest next season, and making a jump to the wrong team could prove disastrous for longer-term title hopes.
However, with his exit clause understood to be activated for 2027 if he is outside the top two in the standings by next year's summer break, it is far more likely that a move elsewhere will happen then if Red Bull does not produce a fast car for the new ruleset and someone else looks dominant.
Verstappen being locked in at Red Bull for 2026 means that the way is now clear for George Russell to conclude his talks with Mercedes about a fresh deal.
While there is little doubt that the partnership will continue into next season, how long a commitment Russell gets is not so certain.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff will almost certainly want to keep his options open for 2027 knowing that Verstappen could be on the market for then - which may make him reluctant to tie both Russell and Kimi Antonelli into long-term deals.
And while Russell may prefer some long-term security, he will also know that potentially being a free agent at the end of next year could have its positives too as that will allow him to manoeuvre himself into a top seat if Mercedes is not at the front.
