Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has revealed that Max Verstappen has an “escape clause” in his contract, which could be activated if the team can no longer provide him with a competitive car. Verstappen won his maiden F1 title last year after the season ended in controversy at the final Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi.
Verstappen was rewarded for his championship-winning endeavours as he put pen to paper on a lucrative new contract worth £40million-a-year ahead of the new season. And the 24-year-old committed his future to Red Bull until 2028.
But Marko has suggested that Verstappen isn’t guaranteed to stay until his contract expires. “If Red Bull experiences a kind of ‘crash’ – just like in 2014 – then there is of course an escape clause,” Marko told German publication Formel1 as he discussed the champion’s new deal.
The ‘crash’ Marko was referring to came after Red Bull had won four consecutive Constructors’ Championships between 2010 and 2013. Following a string of regulation changes ahead of the 2014 season, Red Bull suffered a downturn in fortunes as they finished 296 points behind fierce rivals Mercedes. And Red Bull haven’t been able to return to the top of the team standings since then.
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Ahead of the new season, cars were redesigned once again after a whole host of rule changes came into force. And teams watched on with bated breath to see if their upgrades had kept them competitive.
Red Bull failed to pick up a single point at the season-opening Grand Prix in Bahrain last month as both Verstappen and Sergio Perez were forced to retire in the dying stages due to power failure. But Verstappen illustrated his prodigious talents once again the following week as he got the better of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in an enthralling contest to claim victory in Saudi Arabia.
The opening two races have shone a light on the teams who are likely to compete for honours this season. And Ferrari and Red Bull appear to be the teams to beat.
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Meanwhile, Marko has claimed that Verstappen would be a key figure if Porsche or Audi wanted to form a partnership with Red Bull in the future. Volkswagen, who own the two brands, are likely to give the green light for them to enter F1.
“Max is an important link in the chess game,” Marko added. “It is not surprising that manufacturers take this into account. It was therefore important for Red Bull to be able to say that we have committed the best driver to our team until 2028.
“If you have someone like Max in the ranks, it has a positive effect on the rest of the team and the team partners. It’s all still open. It makes sense that we are the most attractive partner for manufacturers.”
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