Ex-Dutch driver pinpoints Max Verstappen’s Red Bull exit scenario despite 2028 contract
While Max Verstappen has his career secured owing to a long-term deal with Red Bull, former Dutch driver Robert Doornbos thinks otherwise.
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Max Verstappen (via Planetf1)
At the beginning of the 2022 season, Max Verstappen signed a huge deal with Red Bull that would see him out till the end of 2028. This implied that he would be completing his 13th year with the Austrian giant in succession and set a new record. However, ex-Dutch driver Robert Doornbos revealed that Verstappen’s contract is not bullet-proof and has some clauses that would let the latter leave earlier.
Contracts being terminated early are not a new thing in F1. Drivers and teams utilize these clauses to bail them out in tricky situations. Moreover, Red Bull is no stranger to contracts being broken as they have a torrid reputation in the paddock.
However, people reckoned that Max Verstappen‘s contract is breach-proof as both parties intend to extend their dominance over the F1 world. But Robert Doornbos claimed otherwise as he asserted that the Dutchman could be released from his contract anytime if the Austrian giant started to plummet in the standings.
It’s up to the team to show now, is the package competitive enough? And if not, then with all due respect, that contract is not worth that much either, because then Max will just leave.
Robert Doornbos said (via GPFans)
On the other hand, Verstappen has asserted multiple times over the 2024 season that he is loyal to Red Bull. Despite this, teams would be having a close eye on his contract in 2025 as the Austrian squad was caught off guard by McLaren and Ferrari this year. Leading them to fall to third in the constructors’ standings.
Which team would be able to snub Max Verstappen away from Red Bull?
Throughout the 2024 season, Mercedes expressed its desire to have Verstappen at Brackley. Though they were unable to pull off this move, interest has often peaked elsewhere on the grid. Former F1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya reckons that the 27-year-old might be tempted by another team that is currently trundling in the midfield region.
The Colombian asserted that Aston Martin could provide Verstappen a lucrative deal. With Adrian Newey joining the Silverstone-based squad next year, Aston Martin would have a key designer in their arsenal which the Dutchman has worked with over the years.
If I was Max, I would be pretty concerned about the engine programme for 2026. People think he might go to Mercedes but for me there’s a better chance he would end up at Aston Martin. You have Adrian Newey and Honda, which was the combination that’s been at Red Bull. And Lawrence doesn’t take ’No’ for an answer.
Juan Pablo Montoya said (via Lucky Block)
So, engineers at Milton Keynes would be working day and night to make the RB21 free of any woes. It would also be a testament to whether Red Bull can function without Newey’s aid, helping Verstappen to decide his career path before the new regulations come into effect in 2026.
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Geetansh Pasricha
(772 Articles Published)