Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko has set out a Formula 1 Summer break deadline for the team to ensure Max Verstappen remains with the team.
Verstappen’s future at Red Bull was once a ludicrous topic to even consider doubting, but the last 12 months have seen a shift.
Off-track drama and on-track troubles en route to the Dutchman’s fourth-consecutive F1 Drivers’ title sparked up rumours of a courtship by Mercedes’ Toto Wolff.
Wolff’s interest last year subsided in favour of internal prospect Andrea Kimi Antonelli, but the die was cast, teams have started to think Verstappen is getable.
Team Principal Christian Horner was asked following Verstappen’s title-crowning moment in Las Vegas last year what Red Bull had to do to ensure its star asset remains with the team through to the end of his lengthy 2028 contract.
Horner told select media, including Motorsport Week, “It’s down to us to deliver and I’m sure that we’ll provide him a car that he can fight again for the championship next year.”
Despite being just eight points behind championship leader Lando Norris after two rounds in 2025, the alarm bells are ringing as Verstappen has claimed the RB21 lacks overall competitiveness, and Liam Lawson has been ruthlessly swapped with Yuki Tsunoda after two dismal performances.
Despite being under contract for several years, there’s talk that Verstappen has performance clauses in his current deal which could see him negotiate an early exit should his championship standing not be suitable mid-way through the 2025 campaign.
The Times reports Verstappen can exit if he’s “outside the top three in the Drivers’ Championship after a significant part of the season.”
In an interview with Motorsport.com, Marko suggested that Red Bull’s priority this year is to help Verstappen to a fifth Drivers’ title, amid fears any less could turn his head.
Recent changes at Red Bull, plus a move to a better operating window with the RB21, “are necessary so that Max can win his fifth world championship,” Marko explained.
“That’s our big goal. The entire team is working towards it with full commitment. And of course, every top driver has an exit clause if performance isn’t up to standard, but those clauses vary, and at the moment, it’s not an issue.”
Probed on whether Verstappen could start to look elsewhere by the summer if a fifth tile looks unlikely, Marko said: “That’s the window. But let’s not forget we’re second in the championship, eight points behind. There’s still a long way to go until the summer break.”
Red Bull/Verstappen relationship not faltering for now
Beyond Wolff’s courtship last year, Aston Martin was named as a potential suitor for Verstappen with reports of a mega-money offer.
Such talk was dismissed, but, curiously, a story like this emerged, given Aston Martin has lured Adrian Newey and Honda, two key components to Verstappen’s success, in recent times.
Stirring the pot, Red Bull’s adversary Zak Brown stoked the flames recently, claiming that Verstappen will be a Mercedes driver next year.
Losing Verstappen, given the struggles of any driver in the second seat, would be a disaster for Red Bull but Marko isn’t hitting the panic button just yet.
“Of course, Max is an extremely important part of our team,” he said.
“He was the only one who could win the title last year.
“Right now, he’s clearly the best, if not among the very best, and of course we want to keep him.
“But for that, the car has to be up to standard. And the way things look now, there’s no reason, not contractually either, for him to leave at the end of the year.”
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