Max Verstappen Makes Decision About F1 Future

Four-time World Drivers’ Champion Max Verstappen has provided a major update about his racing career and his future.

The championship contender has announced that he will return to Oracle Red Bull Racing after signing a long-term deal. He will continue to drive one of the Ford entries through the end of the 2030 season.

Red Bull and Verstappen provided the update on Aug. 20 with a cheeky post on social media. The video featured Team Principal Laurent Mekies struggling with the subject line of an email, which said, “Max resigns.”

Mekies ultimately asked Verstappen for clarification, at which point the four-time champion told him that the line needed a hyphen. This took the message from “Max resigns” to “Max re-signs,” thus confirming his return to the team.

Inbox (1) 🦁 pic.twitter.com/pIywH7fCoe

— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) August 20, 2026

The Dutchman first landed with Oracle Red Bull Racing in 2016 after getting a promotion from the team now known as Racing Bulls. He has since gone on to win 71 Grands Prix and four World Drivers’ Championships.

Last season, Verstappen missed out on a fifth title by a mere two points after mounting a furious comeback in the closing weeks.

“Having Max continue with us and retaining the best driver on the grid is fantastic news for everyone at Red Bull, Oracle Red Bull Racing, as well as F1 and motorsport as a whole,” Mekies said in a release.

“Very few partnerships in sport achieve what Max and this team have. Since the very beginning, Max has embodied everything that makes Oracle Red Bull Racing special: uncompromising competitiveness, relentless determination and the courage to challenge convention. His impact on our team and on Red Bull’s motorsport story has been transformational, and he has been fundamental to everything we have accomplished together.

“The decision to continue our journey together is rooted in the trust Max and the team have built over many years, as well as Max’s confidence in our people, our culture and our vision for the future. Forged through championship-winning success, intense battles and challenging moments alike, this relationship has only grown stronger – making it one of Formula One’s greatest success stories.

“But we are not done yet. There are more races to win, more milestones to achieve and more history to write. Together, we continue to raise the bar with the same determination that brought us to the top of the sport and an even greater faith in what we can achieve. Much will evolve as we move forward, but our ambition remains unchanged – united by one direction, one vision, one team.”

With Verstappen agreeing to a multi-year contract extension, he and Oracle Red Bull Racing have proven the Polymarket traders correct.

These traders have spent extensive time this season making wagers about the Dutchman’s future. They have tried to predict whether he would retire after this season.

The reason for the wagers is that Verstappen had previously made comments about his uncertain future. He had discussed potentially going off and doing something else with his life.

The odds jumped up to 25% during the early stages of the season. They remained at this point through mid-April. However, the odds fell as the season progressed.

The odds of Verstappen retiring remained just over 10% through much of July and well into August. However, they plummeted in the early morning hours of Aug. 20, coinciding with the team’s announcement.

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