According to a recent report from German outlet BILD, the four-time world champion would be able to trigger an exit clause at the end of 2026 if he is not at least second in the drivers’ championship by the start of the summer break in late July.

Given the lingering question marks over the competitiveness of the Red Bull Ford power unit, such a scenario cannot be dismissed — even if any meaningful verdict will only be possible once the cars hit the track in testing, or perhaps not until the season-opening race in Melbourne.

Asked whether he had any hand in the alleged clause, speaking to oe24, Marko responded: “None of that is true. I negotiated the contract. We’ve always had a fair relationship, and it’s clear that we can’t tie Max down if the new engine doesn’t work. It was the most long-term Formula 1 contract ever concluded anyway.

He finally added: “Max wants to keep the chance to break all records. The new engine is a risk. Now we will soon see where we stand with it.”

With just over a week to go until the first pre-season tests get underway at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, uncertainty still surrounds what the competitive order might look like heading into the new season.

With the ground-effect era now drawing to a close — a cycle first dominated by Red Bull and later by McLaren — a shake-up in the pecking order appears inevitable. It will be fascinating to see which teams manage to get the 2026 concept right straight out of the box.