Max Verstappen F1 News: Dutch insider reveals new information on F1 champion's Red Bull exit clause

Max Verstappen in Canada — Photo: © IMAGO

Formula 1

Dutch F1 insider reveals new information on Max Verstappen Red Bull exit clause

Max Verstappen has been linked with a move to Mercedes

Originally written by Sam Cook. This version is a translation.

Thursday 3 July 2025 03:00

Former F1 driver Robert Doornbos has offered a fascinating new insight regarding a potential exit clause that exists in fellow Dutchman Max Verstappen's Red Bull contract.

The four-time champion is contracted to Red Bull until 2028, but reports in recent months have suggested that he has a get-out clause based on his performance in the drivers' standings.

However, Doornbos has now suggested that whilst an exit clause 'one hundred thousand percent' exists, it is more to do with the team's performance in the constructors' standings and their ability to provide him with a championship-challenging car.

"That's when Red Bull is no longer in the top three in the constructors," Doornbos told Ziggo Sport's Race Cafe. "And which I know, which is one hundred thousand per cent in it.

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"Because if a constructor can't deliver anymore, then Max can't deliver either, and Red Bull is fourth in the constructors'."

Will Verstappen leave Red Bull?

Both Mercedes drivers, George Russell and Kimi Antonelli, are set to be out of contract at the end of this current season, and this could present team chief Toto Wolff with an opportunity to land the four-time champion.

As for Red Bull, they have consistently reiterated that Verstappen is indeed under contract until 2028, and the Dutchman has still been able to claim two race victories in 2025.

However, his dreams of claiming a record-equalling fifth consecutive world drivers' title appear to be over, with a DNF in Austria meaning he is now 61 points behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri in the drivers' championship.

NASCAR Red Bull Max Verstappen Mercedes Toto Wolff