Marko confirms clause Verstappen: 'That's a condition for us as well'

Since the announcement of Honda's departure, Red Bull Racing have had to look for a new source of power. It is generally assumed that in the worst case they will have to settle for a return to Renault. However, Helmut Marko has another option.

And that is that the Austrian company is withdrawing completely from Formula 1. Marko has suggested that if an alternative can't be found then walking away could be an option. 

"If we can't find a competitive engine, that's an option," he told Auto Motor und Sport. He then makes a comparison with the clause in the contract with Max Verstappen.

Threat with weight behind it

"Max has a competitive engine in his contract, but that is also a condition for us. Without an engine with which we can win the world title, this project [the F1 team] is no longer of interest to us."

Not only does he confirm that Verstappen is free to go where he wants if Red Bull's engine supplier doesn't deliver enough, but it's also a threat to Formula 1 that has some weight behind it. If Red Bull leaves, the sport runs the risk of only having 16 cars.