Max Verstappen will ‘think about’ Red Bull exit clause as Marko sets conditions

The rumour mill might have Max Verstappen joining another team for F1 2026 but the Dutch driver says his focus is on improving Red Bull.

Verstappen has raced for Red Bull for the entirety of his F1 career, having been signed to join Toro Rosso for 2015 before securing a promotion to Red Bull Racing in early 2016.

Max Verstappen: I’m not thinking about other teams now

While Verstappen leaving Red Bull seemed unimaginable 12 months ago as the combination swept all before them to dominate the championships, F1 2024 has been a rockier road for driver and team.

Off-track distractions aside, Red Bull’s performance has taken a dip relative to its competition as McLaren has taken a clear step forward through the successful development of its MCL38 – to the point where it now appears to be F1’s fastest and most versatile car.

Verstappen has been continuously linked with speculation that he could join another team, with Mercedes’ Toto Wolff having made his interest very clear as the Brackley-based squad weighed up its options to succeed Lewis Hamilton.

With the Mercedes links cooling as the team opted for junior driver Kimi Antonelli alongside George Russell next year, Verstappen’s name has more recently been mooted as a target for Lawrence Stroll to join an increasingly strong Aston Martin team to possibly reunite with Adrian Newey and Honda at the Silverstone-based squad.

While exit clauses in Verstappen’s Red Bull contract – which runs until 2028 – are likely to exist, tied closely to the performance level of the team, the Dutch driver said that, for him, nothing has changed – the possibility to switch teams always exists, but his focus isn’t on that.

While he may have the world at his feet as pretty much any team would move heaven and earth to secure his services, Verstappen told Motorsport.com, “Yes, of course, I know it’s possible, but I’m not really thinking about it right now.

“I think, at the moment, I have enough to worry about with other things we want to do better.

“We will see what happens in the future. At the moment, I am not really thinking about it too much, to be honest. But if it doesn’t happen, then so be it. It won’t change my life.”

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Helmut Marko: Underperforming Red Bull will lead Max Verstappen to ‘think about’ change

Certainly, for Red Bull, it’s facing a sterner challenge to keep its star driver satisfied as other teams match or eclipse their performance level – particularly with the Milton Keynes squad entering a period of rejuvenation on the staffing front as Jonathan Wheatley and Will Courtenay depart.

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko said it’s clear that, should the performance fail to be enough to allow Verstappen to achieve the results he’s capable of, the reigning World Champion could evaluate a future elsewhere.

“Most big drivers have exit clauses in their contract that are performance-related, and so does Max,” Marko told Germany’s RTL.

“So if we can’t give him a car to fight at the front, then it will definitely be something he will think about.”

F1 2025 represents the last year of the current status quo in terms of the technical regulations, with revolutionary rules on the way for F1 2026. Not only are the chassis and aero rules set to be heavily revised, but the power unit regulations too.

For Red Bull, this means a split with Honda as the team sought alternatives to the Japanese manufacturer following its decision to leave F1 behind after 2021 – only agreeing to a continuation of supply under the current engine freeze.

A significant investment into a new power unit programme in partnership with Ford, Red Bull Powertrains, means an additional question mark over the potency of the Red Bull car in 2026, but Verstappen says he isn’t any more concerned about them falling short of being the benchmark than any other manufacturer.

“Of course, it is [a question mark], but you can say that about everyone,” he said.

“It’s a completely new car and engine.

“It’s a question mark for everyone, also for the people who think they are in the best position right now. There’s always the question of whether you really did such a great job and it will stay that way [until the 2026 season starts].”