Details of Verstappen’s possible early departure from Red Bull have surfaced
Max Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull Racing runs until the end of 2028, and the four-time world champion confirmed in a recent interview that he intends to honour it until its conclusion.
The German newspaper, Bild, has uncovered the clauses in Verstappen’s contract that allow him to leave the team early under certain conditions.
If Max is classified lower than second in the Drivers’ Championship by the summer break in August of this year, he may leave Red Bull Racing at the end of the season. Should Verstappen choose to activate this clause, he would not be required to pay any compensation to the team for early termination.
Verstappen will also have the option to leave Red Bull Racing in 2027 — if he is not leading the Drivers’ Championship by the summer break, the contract may be terminated.
Verstappen owes these highly favourable contractual terms to Helmut Marko, who negotiated with Red Bull’s management on the driver’s behalf and insisted on the inclusion of these clauses.
As it appears, if Verstappen is not at least second by this summer break or not leading the championship by next summer, the team will be unable to prevent his departure. But how has Verstappen typically stood in the standings at the summer break throughout his Red Bull career?
2016
After contesting the first four races of the 2016 season with Toro Rosso, Max moved to Red Bull Racing from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards. He won his very first race with the team. By the summer break, he had scored four podium finishes in total and headed into the break sixth in the championship. He eventually finished the season in fifth place.
2017
This was the weakest first half of Verstappen’s Red Bull career. He failed to win a race in the first 11 events and reached the podium only once, in China. He retired from five of those 11 races. Despite winning twice in the second half of the season, he finished the year no higher than sixth.
2018
Verstappen once again ended the first half of the season in sixth place, as he had in the previous two years. During that period, he claimed one victory and four podium finishes. A more consistent second half of the season ultimately saw him finish fourth overall.
2019
By the summer break in 2019, Max had finished all races inside the top five, converting two of them into victories. Although he failed to finish two races in the second half of the season, he managed to retain third place in the championship by year’s end.
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, 2020 season started late, and no summer break was held.
2021
Verstappen finished every race he completed in the first half of the season in at least second place and secured five victories. He went into the summer break second in the championship behind Hamilton, his title rival that year, but went on to claim the title in the final race of the season.
2022
Despite early-season battles with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, Verstappen won eight of the first 13 races. The second half of the season proved largely uncontested, and he went on to secure his second consecutive world title.
2023
In a record-breaking year, Verstappen finished all of the first 12 races before the summer break in the top two and claimed ten victories. Eight of his record run of ten consecutive wins came during the first half of the season.
2024
The comfort zone of the previous two seasons was absent in 2024. Although Verstappen enjoyed a strong first half, McLaren produced a competitive car from the Miami Grand Prix onwards. Despite winning only two races in the second half of the season, the points advantage he had built earlier proved decisive, and he secured his fourth consecutive title.
2025
In the recently completed season, Verstappen managed only two victories with a car that was incapable of mounting a title challenge, particularly in the first half of the year. He reached the podium in just five of the first 14 races but finished every race in the top three during the second half of the season, ultimately missing out on the championship by just two points.