According to the British ‘Autosport’, a secret adjustment has been made to Max Verstappen’s contract with Red Bull. That adjustment would ensure that Verstappen can leave Red Bull when Helmut Marko leaves Red Bull.
A few months ago it seemed almost unthinkable that Max Verstappen could leave Red Bull, but a lot has happened in just a few weeks. There was the announcement of Lewis Hamilton’s departure from Mercedes at the end of this year to join Ferrari and of course the whole ‘Christian Horner affair’.
There seems to be a power struggle going on within Red Bull, with wild speculation about the future of Helmut Marko, especially a week ago. Marko seemed to be the subject of an investigation. Marko seemed possibly on his way to the exit, but barely 24 hours later the message came that Marko will continue to work at Red Bull.
The British ‘Autosport’ seems to know why all this is happening. According to them, a secret adjustment had been made to Max Verstappen’s contract. A new clause is said to have been included in the contract that ensures that Max Verstappen can leave Red Bull when Helmut Marko leaves Red Bull.
Max Verstappen signed a new contract in 2022 that commits him to Red Bull until the end of 2028 and, as usual, it will contain some so-called ‘performance clauses’. But according to ‘Autosport’, Helmut Marko, in consultation with Max Verstappen’s management, had the contract secretly adjusted.
It is striking that Helmut Marko, as director of Red Bull Racing Limited, did not have to obtain permission from anyone else for this. Helmut Marko himself would be authorized for such contractual changes. It would also explain why Helmut Marko was able to remain in his post despite the investigation into him.