Verstappen contract clause exposes Red Bull escape route in F1 nightmare
It is seriously bleak at Red Bull right now, with speculation Max Verstappen could leave as the team’s biggest problem was exposed again.
F1
Don't miss out on the headlines from F1. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Max Verstappen’s championship hopes are all but over and his F1 future is up in the air following a DNF at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Lando Norris withstood a late charge from McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri to win the race at the Red Bull Ring and trim the Aussie’s championship lead to 15 points.
But it was a dirty day for Verstappen, who started seventh and came unstuck on the opening lap when Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli shunted into him, pushing him off track and ending his race.
Fox Sports, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every practice, qualifying session and race in the 2025 FIA Formula One World Championship™ LIVE in 4K. New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer.
The Dutchman was fuming on team radio, saying: “I’m out. I got hit like crazy. F***ing idiots.”
Antonelli said “sorry about that. I locked the rear, sorry” and apologised to Verstappen as they got out of their cars.
The teenage Mercedes whiz kid went to the Red Bull hospitality area to further apologise to the four-time world champion.
Despite having Red Bull’s home race ruined, Verstappen sounded surprisingly philosophical as he fell 61 points behind championship leader Piastri.
“I just asked (Antonelli) what happened, because he was the only car that was there with me, with his wheel hanging off, so I’m pretty sure that he hit me,” Verstappen said.
“Then, of course, I saw the footage once I came back and it happens, you know? I mean, every driver has made a mistake like that. Everyone has made a mistake like that in their careers.
“Kimi is a very big talent, so he’ll learn from that.
“For me, it was already a racing incident because I saw what happened. No one does these things on purpose. It can happen.”
Verstappen handling the gut punch in such placid, accepting fashion is something most F1 fans have never seen before.
Verstappen’s DNF snuffed out any faint hope he had of contending for the drivers’ title, which is now a 13-race battle between Norris and Piastri.
But Red Bull is at a crossroads as their downfall continues — they are fourth in the constructors’ standings, 46 points behind Mercedes and 255 points behind McLaren.
The curse on Red Bull’s No. 2 driver continues, with Yuki Tsunoda finishing 16th in Austria — the last of the drivers who completed the race.
The man he replaced earlier this season, Kiwi Liam Lawson, finished sixth in Austria and has already moved ahead of Tsunoda in the standings by two points.
Sky Sports pit lane reporter Ted Kravitz: “What happens when Max Verstappen is bundled out of the race by Kimi Antonelli at the start? Well, they have nobody, it seems, in the other car.
“This second Red Bull is near undriveable. It’s probably the same or identical as the other Red Bull, but no one can drive it.
“It’s not Yuki Tsunoda’s fault, it wasn’t Liam Lawson’s fault. It wasn’t Sergio Perez’s fault. It wasn’t Daniel Ricciardo’s fault. It’s the car. This car, set up the way it is, it’s only drivable by one person.
“But if Max Verstappen isn’t driving your car because he goes out (of the race) or he’s not in the team anymore, then what are you left with? An drivable car that nobody can drive or score any points (with).
“It’s not the drivers, it’s the car. There’s no point binning off Yuki Tsunoda now because it’s not his fault.
“They have to think of something because heaven forbid if Max leaves this team, they’re gonna finish last.”
Verstappen rumour that won’t go away
There is a growing sense Red Bull’s house is on fire and it’s about to come burning down.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has expressed an interest in poaching Verstappen, who is contracted with Red Bull until 2028.
George Russell is out of contract this year but Mercedes are yet to give the Brit a contract extension following his win at the Canadian Grand Prix.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did his best to shut down the “noise” surrounding Verstappen’s future.
“It’s a lot of noise,” Horner told Sky sports pre-race.
“I think Max gets quite annoyed by it and we’re very clear with the contract that we have with Max until 2028, so anything is entirely speculative that is being said.
“But we tend not to pay too much attention to it.”
It comes amid reports Verstappen had a clause in his contract that would have allowed him to leave Red Bull had he fallen outside the top four in the drivers standings after the Austrian Grand Prix.
There are conflicting reports over whether that clause stipulates Verstappen can leave Red Bull if he’s outside the top two in the standings.
Verstappen is currently third in the standings, nine points ahead of Russell.
“We do believe that this race is important for his future, or this period in time,” F1 journalist Julianne Cerasoli said ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix.
“At the end of June, an exit clause will kick in, releasing him from his Red Bull contract.
“There was a report saying if he was in the top four, then he couldn’t leave. That’s not what I heard.
“What I’ve kept hearing for the last few months is that it’s the top two. At the moment, he’s in third position, and he doesn’t look like he’s going to be in the top two by the end of this weekend.
Horner cut a forlorn figure after the Austrian Grand Prix as McLaren looked light years ahead of their rivals on track. But he took a swipe at Mercedes after Russell claimed the Silver Arrows were putting off contract talks in a bid to steal Verstappen.
“I think they’ve got their own problems,” Horner said about Mercedes.
“They were 62 seconds behind the race leader today. So Mercedes have got their own issues.
“We’re just focused on ourselves. We know what the situation is with Max. We know what the contracts are with Max, and the rest is all noise that’s not coming from here.”
“I still believe that we have strength and depth in this team that, unfortunately, we haven’t seen the performance come that we would like.
“We’re at the end of a set of regulations. I think we are compromised by some of the tools that we have. But it’s the same fundamental group of people that 18 months ago, had designed a car that won every single grand prix (in a season) bar one. They didn’t suddenly just become idiots overnight.
“You have to acknowledge the great job that McLaren are doing, and congratulations to them. But you know, it’s for us, it’s not about working harder, because everybody’s working incredibly hard, it’s just working smarter. Let’s see over the next few races.
“I think this season, the buffer that they (McLaren) have is significant so it looks very much like a two-horse race.
“For us, we just focus on every single grand prix and try and grab every opportunity, like we did in Montreal.
“A couple of weeks ago, we were second, ahead of the McLarens. As I say, the Mercedes today, last week’s race winner, was 62 seconds behind the race winner being caught by the Sauber.
“So it shows how it shifts around.”
The F1 season continues next weekend at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, which marks the halfway point of the season.
Originally published as Verstappen contract clause exposes Red Bull escape route in F1 nightmare
Piastri blasts team: ‘Find a way to f**k me’
Oscar Piastri was overheard letting rip on team radio during a white knuckle Grand Prix in Austria that also saw Max Verstappen crash out.
‘F*** me over’: Piastri fumes after narrowly escaping title disaster
Oscar Piastri survived a frightening brush with disaster to hold onto his lead in the Formula One world championship, unloading on his ex-team after they cost him dearly.