'Verstappen is free to leave: Red Bull won't block his exit'

Red Bull Racing is not standing in Max Verstappen's way if the Dutchman decides to leave the Austrian racing team after this season. This is at least reported by F1-Insider, a German website believed to have a close relationship with Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko.

As GPblog reported earlier on Wednesday, Verstappen will decide by the summer break at the latest which team he will drive for in 2026. Will it be Red Bull Racing or Mercedes? It could go either way, as has been reported several times by this site.

For a while now, most media have assumed that Verstappen will only move if he can terminate his contract running until mid-2028. But if he can't, then what? As GPblog has also written, it's difficult to keep a driver who no longer wants to race for a team. Especially a top driver like Max Verstappen, with the service he has provided to Red Bull. For example, it was Verstappen's class that brought Red Bull the drivers' world title in 2024, in not an exceptionally good car.

The German website F1-Insider now also states that Red Bull will let Verstappen leave if the Dutchman wishes to, but cannot use an exit clause. Whether or not a modest release clause fee must be paid in that case is - even at GPblog - unknown. But a hundred million dollars in compensation, that really doesn't seem to be the figure they would end up at.

If Red Bull lets Verstappen transfer without a fuss, it's a sign of the good relations that Oliver Mintzlaff (managing director Red Bull GmbH) and especially Helmut Marko have with the Dutchman. They likely have no interest in a lengthy legal wrangling with a driver who kept Red Bull in the Formula 1 spotlight for years.