Helmut Marko caused ‘consternation’ at Red Bull by agreeing to one Max Verstappen contract demand

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Max Verstappen’s future at Red Bull has been under the spotlight for the best part of a year now, and some new information on the performance-based release clauses in his contract has emerged.

Helmut Marko has been a staunch ally of Max Verstappen’s ever since the Austrian executive signed him as a 16-year-old in 2014.

Marko saw signs of Jochen Rindt in Verstappen before getting him to put pen to paper at the time, and the Dutchman repaid his faith by going on to become a four-time world champion by the time he was just 27 years old.

During his two-decade-long tenure at Milton Keynes, Marko made several decisions that baffled his colleagues, but one that may have upset them the most refers to the future of Verstappen.

• READ MORE: Max Verstappen has already sent Red Bull a warning about being stuck in F1’s ‘midfield’ in 2026

Helmut Marko caused ‘consternation’ at Red Bull by agreeing to Max Verstappen’s exit clause demands

A new report from BILD has shed some more light on Verstappen’s current situation at Red Bull.

It is understood that the Dutchman’s performance-related release clause in his current contract, which is set to expire at the end of 2028, will make it ‘easier’ for him to trigger it as the years pass.

If Verstappen finds himself outside of the top two contenders in the title race by the midway point of the 2026 season, he will be able to force a move away from the Austrian constructor. This is the same clause that sent the rumour mill into overdrive during the 2025 term.

However, the German publication has reported that his agreement changes in 2027, meaning that he can activate his release clause if he isn’t leading the F1 standings by the summer break of that season.

The agreement was facilitated by Marko, who negotiated the deal with Red Bull’s top brass for his star driver in 2022.

Red Bull’s decision to concede to the terms laid out by Marko is understood to have caused some ‘internal consternation’ within the ranks of the Austrian constructor, due to Verstappen’s future remaining in balance for the foreseeable future.

Despite this, the report also states that ‘hardly anyone’ at Red Bull truly believes that the four-time world champion will exercise the clause, even if he meets the exit terms.

• READ MORE: Damon Hill explains why his ‘guts’ are telling him Max Verstappen is in no rush to leave Red Bull

How likely do you think it is that Max Verstappen stays with Red Bull until 2028?

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Max Verstappen pledged his future to Red Bull in a recent interview

Despite the fairly straightforward route out of Red Bull that is outlined in his contract, Verstappen has seemingly calmed down from the restlessness that was present during the 2025 season and expressed his desire to see out the rest of his contract instead.

During a recent interview, Verstappen asserted that he was ‘ruling out’ a Red Bull exit before the end of 2028, which will serve as a blow to Mercedes, and in particular, Toto Wolff.

The Silver Arrows chief has been an admirer of the Dutchman’s talents since before he had even made his debut in the sport back in 2015.

He has since unsuccessfully attempted to lure him away from the Austrian constructor, and it doesn’t look like his persuasion will work anytime soon.