Max Verstappen made a secret promise to Red Bull ally Helmut Marko after Christian Horner’s departure

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Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko share a close bond. The Red Bull academy boss accepted an inevitable backlash by giving the Dutchman a chance at the age of 17.

He has been repaid with one of the greatest careers in F1 history. Verstappen is a four-time world champion at the age of 27 and will hope to break the all-time record (held by Lewis Hamilton and Michael Schumacher) in Red Bull colours.

There was a moment at the start of last year where it looked as if Marko might leave. Involved in a power struggle with Christian Horner, he was protected by Verstappen threatening to follow him out the door.

It’s believed there was a clause in Verstappen’s contract allowing him to depart if Marko was no longer there. This was crucial in the 82-year-old outlasting Horner, who was sacked last month.

Max Verstappen promised Helmut Marko he’d stay at Red Bull

Even after Horner was sacked, Verstappen didn’t immediately commit to staying at Red Bull. A performance-based exit clause in his contract elapsed, but he could still have put the team under monumental pressure by requesting a transfer.

It’s known that Verstappen was in negotiations with Mercedes, but finally, at the Hungarian Grand Prix just before the summer break, he explicitly stated that he would stay for 2026. His contract runs until the end of 2028, though it does include more exit routes.

In a Q&A on Reddit, Brazilian journalist Julianne Cerasoli was asked why Verstappen didn’t move to Mercedes. It seems Toto Wolff was ready to oust either George Russell or Kimi Antonelli, neither of whom have signed an extension yet, to land his dream target.

Cerasoli says his ‘contract didn’t allow him to leave’. But she also reveals that Verstappen ‘promised Marko he’d stay for another year’.

Intriguingly, that still keeps his options open for 2027, by which point he’ll be aware of the pecking order under the new regulations.

What Helmut Marko has given Max Verstappen in exchange for rejecting Mercedes

It’s been reported that Red Bull have agreed to let Verstappen leave if they aren’t adequately competitive next year. He’s unlikely to tolerate a repeat of 2025, having already fallen almost 100 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

What’s more, though, Marko has promised Verstappen he can walk if he doesn’t like the new regulations. The 2015 debutant is keen to pursue other racing interests outside of F1 at some point.

Several drivers have criticised the vision for 2026, though they won’t cast a final judgement until they drive the cars for the first time next January.

Adrian Newey has historically been excellent at finding loopholes in revised rulebooks. But Red Bull can no longer call on his expertise after he moved to Aston Martin.