Verstappen made his decision clear: "I'm staying at Red Bull"

As is known, Max Verstappen's current contract with Red Bull runs until the end of 2028.

However, according to Motorsport.com, some exit clauses could come into play around the summer break, and it was thought that these clauses could apply if Verstappen didn't finish in the top three in the championship. However, that possibility was ruled out after Verstappen finished fourth in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Verstappen, who has consistently dodged questions about the subject in recent weeks, told the press before the Hungarian Grand Prix that now was the time to clarify the matter: "I haven't actually said anything about it until now because my entire focus has been on how to improve our performance with the team, coming up with ideas for next year and discussing them."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Alastair Staley/LAT Images via Getty Images

"But now it's time to put an end to all the rumours. For me, it was very clear from the start: I'm staying with the team."

"The general atmosphere within the team was always that way. We were constantly talking about what we could do with the car. If I hadn't wanted to stay, such conversations would have ended long ago. But I never did that."

It is thought that some of the exit clauses in Verstappen's contract could be revived next summer.

When asked if there would be similar media pressure on this issue in 12 months, he replied: "I don't know. If you ask me that question next year, yes, there will be speculation again. But I don't like to talk about these things because I'm more concerned with focusing on performance. That's why I don't talk much about the things in my contract."

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: James Sutton/Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Ltd via Getty Images

"Nobody knows where they'll be next year. It's already very difficult for us to compete with McLaren this year. Even competing against Ferrari and Mercedes is difficult enough."

"But we still have the opportunity to learn the car and its behavior better. Yes, next year's cars will be different, but there are things we can take from this year in terms of engineering and carry them over to next year."

"Therefore, I don't think the idea of 'the championship is gone, so let's just skip this year completely' is right."