Red Bull chief confirms Verstappen EXIT clause in contract update

Rumours that reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen has an exit clause within his current contract have been confirmed by Red Bull chief Helmut Marko.

Verstappen is preparing for his upcoming campaign, which will get underway in less than a month at the Australian Grand Prix, where both he and his Red Bull team will hope they can hit the ground running after a disappointing end to 2024.

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Whilst the Dutchman managed to secure his fourth consecutive driver's title, Red Bull slipped down the order significantly in the team standings and only managed to finish third in the constructors' championship behind McLaren and Ferrari.

Fighting talk during the off-season has been constant from frontrunners McLaren as the papaya outfit appear confident that they can not only hold on to their constructors' title in 2025 but also finally topple Verstappen off of his throne in the drivers' standings with either Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri.

After dominating both championships in 2022 and 2023, Verstappen and Red Bull have a long way to go to get back up to the top without the talent of F1 design legend Adrian Newey among their ranks.

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Marko dodges question over Verstappen Aston Martin move

Newey was instrumental in Red Bull's domination of the sport in recent years and after he confirmed his team switch to Aston Martin last year, rumours immediately began swirling that Verstappen could be tempted to join him at the Silverstone-based outfit.

The 27-year-old's current contract with Red Bull runs until 2028, but with a regulations overhaul set to sweep the sport in 2026, it had been suggested that Verstappen could be tempted to switch teams early or even retire before his contract with Horner's outfit is up.

Now, Red Bull chief Helmut Marko has spoken to oe24, confirming that there are performance-based clauses in their star driver's contract.

Marko admitted: "There are performance clauses. But let's assume that we are not really at a disadvantage in terms of the engine. One or two tenths behind are manageable with Max."

When further asked if Verstappen could be considering retirement or a team switch away from Red Bull, the team's advisor replied: "That's all speculative.

"We want to win our fifth world championship title in a row, that's our entire focus. We didn't manage that with Vettel."

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