Why a Max Verstappen F1 gap year is now back on the silly season table

Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Why a Max Verstappen gap year is now back on the F1 silly season table

Verstappen's best chance at revitalising his F1 career could be taking a year out in 2027.

Kerry Violet F1 News Editor

F1 editor and journalist covering motorsport since 2024.

Wednesday 8 July 2026 21:00

Make us your Google favorite

Let's face it, everyone has probably been tempted by a gap year at some point in their life, so why should four-time F1 champion Max Verstappen be any different?

The Red Bull star is currently playing chicken with his performance-based contract exit clause which is understood to give him the freedom of announcing a departure from the energy drink giants from anytime between this month's summer break and October.

Initial reports suggested Verstappen's latest Red Bull exit clause would allow him to activate an early move away from the team if he wasn't in the top two of the drivers' standings by the summer break (which falls after the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday, July 26).

Article continues under video

But the added twist of that clause's trigger point extending as far as October has now been reported, meaning Verstappen can play the long game and drag out his contract decision should he wish.

However, the issue with that approach is that the 28-year-old risks damaging his relationship with the only family he has raced for his entire career, and that is one of the reasons why a sabbatical from the sport could now be his best option for 2027.

Why F1 sabbatical is exactly what Verstappen is looking for

Verstappen currently sits way down in P7 in the drivers' standings and with just two non-sprint race weekends to go until the summer break, he isn't kidding anyone that a P2 finish by the midway point in the campaign is still on the cards.

As reports gather momentum that Red Bull management are growing increasingly tired of their star driver delaying his 2027 decision despite being contracted with the energy drink giants until 2028, there is only one thing left for the Dutchman to do.

Take a gap year.

Max Verstappen said he is 'fed up' after crashing out of the British Grand Prix.

Many an undergrad student can relate to the feeling of wanting to bide your time and weigh up your options before throwing yourself off the proverbial cliff and into the unknown of employment.

For Verstappen, choosing to take a year out from F1 could be the best decision of his career.

Let's face it, Verstappen wouldn't be able to take a gap year from racing entirely. He doesn't even take a gap weekend without jumping on his home sim for goodness sake.

But this is what could help him.

A year away from F1 would not mean a year of risking losing his edge for Verstappen.

He could activate his Red Bull exit clause, take a year to watch from the sidelines as he continues to sharpen his racing skills through sim racing and GT3 exploits, and come back to the grid in 2028 when the tweaked regulations come into play and just in time for plenty more seats to open up on the grid.

Waiting until October to decide his destination for 2027 would not only rub Red Bull up the wrong way but it would also do no good for Verstappen.

Unless, like most of the British F1 press would have you believe, there is actually a driver contract bombshell on the way, nothing will change for the Dutchman between now and that rumoured October deadline.

Even just a month ago a sabbatical seemed like the least likely option for Verstappen but now it might be his best.

F1 gap year could hand Verstappen seat of a lifetime

A year out from F1 could give Max Verstappen the opportunity to sign with Ferrari.

Few drivers get the chance to start fresh after building such strong foundations with the team that built you up to becoming champion.

Verstappen's relationship with Red Bull appears to be becoming increasingly more fractured and he cannot continue to just hang the threat of an exit clause of their heads every single year.

But on the other side of the coin he must also face up to the fact that a sensible move to a rival team is simply not on offer right now.

Ferrari just re-signed Charles Leclerc on a multi-year contract extension rumoured to see him race in red into the 2030s. Likewise, seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton delighted his home crowd in Silverstone last weekend by maintaining: "I'm not going anywhere."

But should the Scuderia continue on an upwards trajectory, Hamilton might be content to call time on his career at the end of 2027, opening the door for Verstappen and his management to negotiate a monumental switch to Ferrari.

Equally, Mercedes appear to have closed off any route to the Silver Arrows for 2027, but again, Kimi Antonelli might be on Ferrari's radar or Toto Wolff might decide George Russell has had his chance to shine come 2028.

The rumours of a move to McLaren for Verstappen appear to be just that, but Lando Norris' contract might expire in time for 2028 and with a championship under his belt, the 26-year-old who is already making a habit of discussing retirement could be ready to wrap up his F1 career.

Verstappen clearly wants to wait and see how Red Bull and their rivals develop as the 2026 season continues, and let's not forget the rocketship Adrian Newey promised Aston Martin when he signed with the Silverstone squad.

Fernando Alonso or Lance Stroll might have had enough by the time 2028 rolls around, leaving space for Verstappen to kick off a new era of his career, or alternatively return to Red Bull having taken the time he needs to recommit to the Milton Keynes squad.

F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen exit clause active as Horner breaks silence

Written by

Kerry Violet - F1 News Editor

Having graduated from the University of Sheffield with a 2:1 in Journalism in 2022, Kerry continued her pursuit of finding a full-time position in motorsport through work with the F1 Arcade in London, where she got to meet true fans of the sport and make a live grand prix watch party memorable for them. It was here that she confirmed her dream of combining her background in journalism and love of motorsport, going on to volunteer with the female-led platform Empoword Journalism. Having completed stints as a screen editor and sports editor, Kerry landed her first F1-specific editorial role with GPFans and has thoroughly enjoyed continuing to work closely with the sport ever since. The access GPFans offers Kerry has allowed her to interview big names such as Naomi Schiff and David Coulthard and given her experiences she could only have dreamt of as a young F1 fan.

View full biography

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen 2026 regulations