Jos Verstappen delivers “look further to 2026” warning over Max’s F1 future

Jos Verstappen has provided an update on Max Verstappen’s F1 future amid speculation that Mercedes will hold negotiations over a possible move after the Miami Grand Prix.

Toto Wolff has been aggressive in his public praise towards F1’s reigning world champion as Mercedes look to replace Lewis Hamilton.

While Verstappen is contracted to Red Bull until the end of 2028, there’s thought to be a number of clauses in his contract, one which states that the Dutchman is free to leave if Helmut Marko does.

Verstappen is on course to claim his fourth straight drivers’ championship with Red Bull but off-track events mean that F1’s dominant teams risks at combusting mid-season.

It all stems from Christian Horner’s alleged inappropriate behaviour and the investigation surrounding that.

Addressing his son’s F1 future, Jos told RaceXpress as quoted by RacingNews365: “I think everyone wants him, only I think Max is right for the moment.

“He has a fast car, but we also have to look further to 2026, so we are letting everything come to us at the moment. We stay very calm and see what will happen.”

Verstappen isn’t the only senior Red Bull figure whose future is in doubt.

F1 design guru Adrian Newey has reportedly told Red Bull he wants to move on after he had become “unsettled” due to the aforementioned Horner saga.

Newey has been heavily linked with a sensational switch to either Ferrari or Aston Martin, worth as much as up to £100 million.

Aston Martin could be an interesting bet given they will be powered by Honda from 2026 - the engines which have allowed Verstappen to dominate.

Jos didn’t want to comment on the Newey situation when asked.

"I'm not going to say anything about that....whatever should I say about it?,” Jos added.

"I don't know anything about it. There is a deal between him and Red Bull and the rest we'll see. I can't say anything about that. We all know how he has performed and how good he is."