Max Verstappen has already made a decision about using his exit clause at Red Bull

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Red Bull say that Max Verstappen will stay with the team despite being able to use an exit clause in his contract.

After his DNF at the British Grand Prix last time out, it was confirmed that Verstappen will be outside the top two in the standings after the Hungarian GP. That means he is free to leave, should he desire.

Reports suggest that Red Bull offered Verstappen millions to forego the clause, which was included in the long-term contract he signed back in 2022, but now it may not matter.

If you were Max Verstappen, would you stay at Red Bull or move on?

Verstappen has been linked with McLaren, but could also retire or take a sabbatical

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Max Verstappen intends to ‘stick with’ Red Bull for another season

Verstappen hasn’t publicly committed to Red Bull despite facing internal pressure to do so. But F1 press conference host Tom Clarkson has heard that he will give the team at least one more year.

“The word I’m getting from Red Bull is that, even though technically he can walk in terms of contract clauses, he’s going to stay for 2027 and stick with it and see where they go,” Clarkson said on the F1 Nation podcast.

Ferrari are committed to Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc for 2027, while George Russell, the driver who was under threat at Mercedes, recently said he was ‘100%’ sure he would keep his seat.

That just leaves McLaren, but the message from the team is that they have no plans to change their current line-up of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.

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“He’s not actually flush with options, it seems, which is strange for someone that the entire paddock regards as the best driver,” Jolyon Palmer said.

“Oscar and George seem to be the two guys who might yet change things, kind of for a similar reason. You had Oscar so close to the championship last year, Lando got it, then it feels like Lando carried that momentum into this season as well.

“George, if he doesn’t win the championship or he doesn’t manage to find some form, is he going to start to think that this is Kimi’s team? We’ve heard some quite terse radio messages between him and Toto now.

• READ MORE: Toto Wolff saw right through George Russell’s ‘politician’ act after British Grand Prix

“If George were to leave and decide he wants to start afresh somewhere else, which is a big if, does Toto Wolff want to partner your great talent Kimi Antonelli with Max Verstappen? That feels like it’s a recipe for disaster. Kimi has proven that he’s a number one driver, he’s not about to come in and play second fiddle.

“Kimi’s almost upped his level to a point that if George goes, Max is not the ideal replacement anymore.”

The driver market landscape could look considerably different in 2028, with more seats available. There’s a school of thought that Verstappen’s recent talks with rival teams have been focused on long-term options.