The potential peril of Verstappen's swift exit from Red Bull looms.
Max Verstappen continues to lead the Formula 1 World Championship, but his lead over Lando Norris is decreasing. This is partly due to Verstappen's dissatisfaction with his car, which poses a problem for his Red Bull team.
Red Bull's motorsport consultant, Helmut Marko, acknowledges that despite their previous successes, there's a chance that Formula 1 World Champion Max Verstappen might switch to another team. Marko expressed his concerns: "There's always that risk." He elaborated, "When he's in the car, his goal is to win. But the conditions have to be right. If they're not, he might just say, 'That's it!'"
Verstappen's contract with Red Bull extends until the end of 2028, but he has the option to terminate it under certain circumstances, as Marko explained: "Most top drivers have a performance-based exit clause. Max has something like that. So, if we can't give him a car that can compete at the front, that's something he'll consider."
The 81-year-old Austrian is hopeful that the RB20 will soon return to the high-performance level it had in the first half of the season. The modifications made after the Singapore race, where Verstappen finished second, were the "first step" in that direction, according to Marko. However, Red Bull, which won all but one Grand Prix last year, is now only second in the constructors' championship - and the trend is downward. Verstappen still leads the drivers' championship by 52 points over Lando Norris in the McLaren, but he hasn't won a race since the end of June.
In response to a penalty imposed by the FIA, Verstappen even threatened to leave Formula 1. He stated, "Things like that definitely influence my future. If you can't be yourself or have to deal with such silly things, for me, that's definitely not an option to continue in the sport." Verstappen had previously described his car as "broken," referring to its performance. The FIA stewards deemed this "crude, rude, and offensive" and "not suitable for broadcast." The consequence: community service for Verstappen.
Despite Red Bull's struggles to maintain their previous Formula 1 dominance, with the team now only second in the constructors' championship, Max Verstappen continues to show his commitment to the sport, even threatening to leave over a penalty imposed by the FIA. His contractextension until 2028 gives him the option to leave if his car's performance does not improve, as his contract includes a performance-based exit clause.
