Marko Shares Insight On Verstappen's Contract Amid Comments From Father Jos

Thursday, 29 August 2024 at 10:00

Red Bull's motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko, discussed Max Verstappen's contract when asked about Jos Verstappen's public comments.

Jos Verstappen has already publicly criticized the Red Bull Racing team, namely Christian Horner, multiple times this year, most recently after the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix.

During his home race in the Netherlands, Jos Verstappen's son and triple World Champion Max Verstappen finished second, but it was more than 22 seconds (a huge margin) behind the race winner Lando Norris. Speaking to Bild after the race, Verstappen Sr said:

"You can't sugarcoat it anymore, the situation is serious. Max won't be happy with having a car like this. Now it's up to Horner to get the team back on track."

This statement hints at the possibility that Max Verstappen could still leave the Red Bull Racing F1 team if he wasn't provided a competitive car.

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Red Bull's Helmut Marko addressed these comments ahead of the Italian Grand Prix when he said, according to Planet F1:

"Every contract with a top Formula 1 driver has exit clauses, which are mainly based on performance. But at the moment Max is focused on the championship and as a team to win this championship."

"We have to look forward, and 2026 is coming with new rules, and no one knows at the moment who will have a competitive engine."

Although rivals like Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren have already caught up with Red Bull, the Austrian team's biggest test still lies ahead in 2026.

Red Bull Racing team set out to build their own power units starting from new regulations in 2026. If they fail, they will likely fall into midfield. That would make it tougher to keep the triple World Champion.

"Of course what happened in 2014 when all of a sudden the engine we used was at least 50 HP or more behind and was not reliable. So you really don't know what will happen."

"But at the moment, everything is clear. Max will drive for Red Bull Racing next season, and we have to give him a car that can win, and all these rumors, I think, will stop immediately."

Concerning what exact clauses might be written in Max Verstappen's contract, the 81-year-old asserted he won't share details but explained:

"Of course, I don't want to discuss such clauses, but they are based on performances, so if the team doesn't provide a car where the driver can be at the front, that is normally a reason why he could leave."