Max Verstappen closed one of the main Formula 1 market sagas on Thursday by renewing his contract with Red Bull until 2030. The day also saw Rafael Câmara gaining momentum in the fight for a spot at Haas, Gabriel Bortoleto previewing the Dutch GP, and an important update from Honda for Zandvoort.
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Verstappen’s stay was confirmed on the eve of the Dutch round, after months of speculation about a possible departure. The four-time world champion said he was “very satisfied” with the new deal and reinforced that his goal remains to put Red Bull back on top. Laurent Mekies highlighted the trust built between the driver and the team over the years.
Among the Brazilians, Rafa Câmara had one of the most important moves of the day. The driver will participate next week in a Haas test with old cars in Portimão, alongside Ryo Hirakawa and Leonardo Fornaroli. The three appear as candidates for Esteban Ocon’s seat, and Ayao Komatsu made it clear that the activity will have an evaluation character. Câmara, third place in Formula 2, had already been pointed out by Lawrence Barretto as the favorite for the spot.
Gabriel Bortoleto was also in the spotlight in Zandvoort. The Brazilian celebrated Verstappen’s renewal, calling the Dutchman’s stay “great for the sport,” and said that the presence of a four-time world champion contributes to the spectacle of the category. On another front, the Audi driver assessed that possible rain at the Dutch GP could help the team find answers about the car.
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The championship lead also faced a problem for the coming weeks. Kimi Antonelli will have a grid penalty at the Italian GP for an engine change, while Mercedes tries to react after seeing its advantage shrink. At the same time, Honda brought a major update to its power unit for Zandvoort in search of more performance.
At Ferrari, Charles Leclerc pointed out power as the main weakness of the SF-26 compared to the power units of Mercedes and Red Bull. The Monegasque, however, showed confidence in the team’s development program and highlighted the aggressive approach adopted by Ferrari in updates during the first half of the season.
The day also had Fernando Alonso keeping options open for his future, Yuki Tsunoda saying he was at the beach when he found out he would race at the Dutch GP, and Lewis Hamilton revealing extra motivation to try to win at Zandvoort. Formula 1 officially returns to the track this Friday, with the start of the 12th round of the season’s schedule.
