Max Verstappen secured a crucial victory for Red Bull in Imola and set their season back on a positive track by beating both McLaren drivers.

Verstappen has been linked with a Red Bull exit for 2026, following his team’s difficult start to the season, and regression since the start of 2024. However, he’s still in the drivers’ championship picture and has been given a car capable of scrapping for the top three.

Despite intense speculations tying Verstappen to a possible Mercedes or Aston Martin move, he has remained focused on track while having no support at all from his teammates. Red Bull just haven’t been able to nail down a supportive and helpful second driver.

Verstappen was told he should be ‘angry’ after realising that at some events, he wouldn’t be able to beat either McLaren driver, such is the advantage that they hold at times. However, recent upgrades at Imola were a definite improvement and show that the RB21 does have potential this year.

That was after a difficult Friday, which suggested they had failed to bring meaningful developments again. It’s important never to judge parts too soon because after Verstappen got frustrated at Red Bull, he soon bounced back and finished the weekend in the best fashion possible.

Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images

Max Verstappen has now ‘100%’ decided which Formula 1 team he wants to drive for in 2026

Verstappen was told he could win everything with Aston Martin, if he was to reunite with ex-colleague and renowned car guru Adrian Newey ahead of the start of the 2026 F1 regulations.

They’re not the most attractive team on the Formula 1 grid, given their current position in the constructors’ standings, but their heavy investment in infrastructure may have set them up for future success. They might be in a really good position to challenge in the future.

There’s no guarantee that they will be better than Verstappen’s current team though, who are making their own power units for the first time from next year.

According to sport.de‘s Felix Gorner, the Dutchman has ‘100%’ decided that he will remain a Red Bull driver in 2026.

It means that the Formula 1 driver market won’t be as interesting as some would have hoped, but for one team, it’s a massive development. They get to keep hold of their superstar driver into the new regulations.

Why Max Verstappen may have decided that Red Bull is his best option in 2026

Max Verstappen’s Oscar Piastri overtake in Imola was ‘beautiful’ and single-handedly won him the race at the first corner, on the first lap.

As long as he has a car that can be within a few tenths of his rivals, and can qualify somewhere near the front, he has proven over the years that he can be the sole difference-maker.

Verstappen and Red Bull achieved an ‘extreme’ feat in Imola and it was the first sign of them in a while, showing some real grit and determination to successfully turn a weekend around. It’s a promising sign for the future.

It may be why the four-time champion has already decided that for now, his best option will be to stick to what he is familiar with.