F1 Pundit Makes “100,000%” Claim on New Max Verstappen Red Bull Exit Clause

Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos claimed that Max Verstappen has two different exit clauses in his Red Bull contract.

F1 Pundit Makes “100,000%” Claim on New Max Verstappen Red Bull Exit Clause

Max Verstappen and Christian Horner (via Red Bull Content Pool)

Max Verstappen‘s Red Bull future is one of the biggest talking points in the Formula 1 paddock at the moment. While the reigning world champion is tied to Milton Keynes till the end of 2028, there is an exit clause which the Dutchman could activate. Now, former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos has made a bold claim over a second exit clause in Verstappen’s contract.

The Dutch driver is believed to have a provision in his Red Bull deal, where he could leave for a rival team if he falls below the top 3 in the standings by the summer break. Currently, Max Verstappen sits in third place, with a lead of just 9 points to fourth-placed George Russell.

Rumors have persisted that Verstappen is in talks with rival teams if he does decide to leave the Austrian team. Earlier this year, Aston Martin seemed to be the team at the front of this pack. But now, Mercedes might be the most likely option. Though, publicly, the 27-year-old has remained firmly committed to Red Bull.

However, Robert Doornbos suggests that this is not the only clause for Verstappen. He was completely certain that the reigning world champion even has the provision to leave Milton Keynes if the team is not in the top 3 of the teams’ standings. Red Bull is sitting in fourth place, 47 points behind third-placed Mercedes. Doornbos asserted that this option was ‘100,000%’ in Verstappen’s contract.

The other clause dictates that Verstappen can leave if Red Bull is not in the top three among the constructors. Of that I know, it’s in there 100,000% for sure. Because if a team can’t deliver more, then a driver can’t deliver either.

Robert Doornbos said on Ziggo Sport Race Cafe

George Russell forced to ‘wait’ over Max Verstappen’s Mercedes talks

Last year, it was no secret that Toto Wolff and Mercedes were keen on poaching Max Verstappen from Red Bull. Unfortunately, the Austrian billionaire could not convince the F1 star to join Brackley for 2025. However, this has seemingly not bogged down the Silver Arrows, who still have Verstappen on the radar.

Max Verstappen and George Russell (via Red Bull Content Pool)
Max Verstappen and George Russell (via Red Bull Content Pool)

Robert Doornbos pointed out that in 2024, the entire paddock was aware that Mercedes was in discussions with Verstappen. The 43-year-old reckoned that these talks have continued this year. Doornbos made it clear that as long as Verstappen does not make a concrete call, George Russell will have no choice but to keep waiting for his future.

Those talks with Mercedes are going on, since last year in fact, that is not rocket science. Then there is a rest for a while, then there is some more talk. And that George Russell, meanwhile, just has to wait, twiddling his thumbs.

Robert Doornbos stated

George Russell has made it clear that he wants to continue racing for Mercedes. The Silver Arrows have supported the Briton since his junior career. Though, Toto Wolff is a clever man, who would not miss out on the chance to sign the reigning world champion. The coming weeks will be quite interesting for the F1 driver market as it revolves around Max Verstappen.

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