Last Updated on January 12 2026, 10:52 pm

Max Verstappen was heavily linked with a move to Mercedes last year, but the four-time world champion put an end to the speculation at the Hungarian Grand Prix. Verstappen will simply be on the grid with Red Bull Racing in 2026.

This decision highlights the loyalty that has long been associated with the Dutchman. However, with Helmut Marko now stepping away from the team, questions inevitably resurface. How far does Verstappen’s loyalty really extend, and could it change beyond 2026?

 

 

 

Marko played a decisive role in Verstappen’s rise

When Verstappen signed his first Formula 1 contract with Red Bull in 2014, Marko played a pivotal role. At the Austrian’s recommendation, the 16-year-old from Limburg was handed a seat at Toro Rosso for the following season. It was an extraordinary vote of confidence, but one that quickly proved justified. Verstappen impressed immediately at the Faenza-based team, earning promotion to Red Bull Racing after just over one season.

His debut for the senior team could hardly have gone better. At the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, he claimed victory in his very first race for Red Bull, instantly becoming the youngest winner in Formula 1 history. From that moment on, his trajectory was clear. Titles followed, records fell and the partnership between Verstappen and Red Bull evolved into one of the sport’s most successful combinations.

 

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A second family at Red Bull

In two months’ time, Verstappen will begin his tenth full season with Red Bull Racing. While long stints with a single team are not unheard of in modern Formula 1, Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris are recent examples, it still says a great deal about Verstappen’s character. He is widely regarded as fiercely loyal, a reputation he has reinforced time and again.

Shortly after winning his first world title, he committed his future to Red Bull by signing a long-term contract running until the end of 2028.

The message to rival teams was clear: if they wanted Verstappen, they would have to pay significantly more. Over the years, Red Bull has increasingly felt like a second family to the Dutchman, a fact he has often acknowledged publicly. He has repeatedly praised the Milton Keynes staff and expressed gratitude to the partners who supported him throughout his rise.

 

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Key relationships behind the scenes

This sense of family is based on personal relationships as well as professional success. Verstappen’s bond with his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase (AKA ‘GP’), is one of the strongest on the grid. The pair are sometimes likened to a married couple, though they prefer to describe themselves as brothers. After winning his first world title in 2021, Verstappen stated that he would consider retiring if Lambiase were ever to leave the team.

Alongside Lambiase, Marko has long occupied a special place in Verstappen’s career. Often described as a second father figure, the Austrian played a key role in not only bringing Verstappen into Formula 1, but also shielding and guiding him during his early years. This influence extended well beyond contracts and driver development.

 

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Marko departs, Lambiase remains

For a time, it appeared that Verstappen might lose both these pillars of support after 2025. Following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix weekend, Marko announced that he would not be returning as a Red Bull advisor. Around the same time, Lambiase’s future was uncertain, with reports linking him to Aston Martin after an emotionally demanding year.

Ultimately, however, Lambiase chose to stay. He will continue to be Verstappen’s right-hand man, which is a significant boost for the Dutchman after his title streak was halted in 2025 by Lando Norris. Given that two of Verstappen’s other trusted engineers, David Mart and Michael Manning, have already departed, continuity on the pit wall is particularly valuable. At least one constant remains in place as Red Bull enters a new phase.

 

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Loyalty has its limits

Nevertheless, Marko’s departure inevitably raises fresh questions. With several long-standing confidants leaving the team, will Verstappen’s loyalty be tested in the near future? The four-time world champion may be committed, but no driver’s allegiance is unconditional.

In Marko’s case, however, the circumstances soften the impact. The 82-year-old Austrian chose to step away from his role of his own accord, citing a gradual loss of passion. Verstappen was always aware that this moment would come; when he signed his current contract in 2022, Marko’s eventual departure was an obvious possibility.

While this is disappointing on a personal level, it does not fundamentally alter Verstappen’s relationship with the team.

The situation would have been very different had Lambiase also left. Given Verstappen’s own words in 2021, when he said that he was not necessarily aiming for a long Formula 1 career, a double departure might have prompted more drastic decisions. An early exit from the sport before 2026 would not have been unthinkable in those circumstances.

 

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Performance will decide the future

According to Verstappen’s former performance coach, Bradley Scanes, loyalty is one of the Dutchman’s defining traits, but it is not limitless. Speaking on the High Performance podcast last year, Scanes emphasised that Verstappen’s commitment is closely tied to sporting competitiveness.

Simply put, if Red Bull’s performance were to fall significantly, that loyalty could be tested.

Much therefore depends on the success of the RB22’s successors, and crucially on Red Bull Powertrains, as the team enters a new technical era. If the first in-house power unit proves to be uncompetitive, Verstappen could activate a performance clause after 2026. In that sense, Red Bull largely controls its own destiny. Provided the team continues to perform at the highest level, Verstappen’s loyalty is unlikely to be seriously challenged, even in a post-Marko era.

 

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NEXT ARTICLE – McLaren’s controversial “papaya rules” about to change after a title-winning season & growing backlash from drivers and pundits

McLaren’s divisive ‘papaya rules’ to change? – The McLaren team’s comeback has been a remarkable Formula One tale. Having ditched Ron Dennis, the legendary team owner and principal in 2017 McLaren’s fortunes have been on the rise.

Dennis was obsessed with being a works based team with an engine supplier solely dedicated to the McLaren cause. And with long term partner Mercedes deciding to adventure once again into owing a team in 2010, this left McLaren on the back foot.

To be fair to Dennis when the new V6 hybrid era began in 2014, the power unit manufacturers who owned teams were allowed preferential treatment under the FIA’s rules. This meant their team would get any PU upgrades first, with customers having to wait until the factory could build enough.

 

Papaya rules dominate 2025 headlines

All this has now changed since Mercedes’ dominant era and F1 customer teams now must be given the same specification of powertrains that the manufacturers run in their own car. But for McLaren, Dennis’ adventure with Honda was a disaster and saw the team finish a lowly 9th in the constructors’ championship in 2017.

Zak Brown was subsequently appointed CEO of McLaren Racing and their fortunes have been on the up ever since. They are the first ‘customer team’ to win the constructors’ title since Brawn GP in 2009 and for two seasons now have dominated their PU supplier Mercedes.

Yet despite their second team title and Lando Norris maiden F1 championship, McLaren are a team under scrutiny. Much of which comes from their decision to make public their rules of combat between the drivers. ‘Papaya rules’ often dominated the headlines in 2025, with Oscar Piastri finally admitting the team orders in Monza affected his mentality and ultimately his title chance.

The papaya rules are McLaren’s rule book for their drivers which state the team comes ahead of any individual glory, emphasising no contact should be made and the drivers must respect whatever…READ MORE ON THIS STORY