'Red Bull extremely annoyed with Verstappen: an F1 exit and a sabbatical now serious options'

For three years running, it’s the same story: in June and July, Max Verstappen is the talk of the town. Despite a contract through 2028, Red Bull has had to wait until at least the summer break for three consecutive years to know whether Verstappen will really stay with Red Bull Racing. Thanks to various clauses in the Dutchman’s contract, he has been able—despite an ongoing deal—to come close to leaving several times.

In 2024 and 2025, Verstappen held talks with, among others, Mercedes, but a move never materialized. Firstly because the clauses in those seasons could not be activated, and secondly because Verstappen ultimately decided that Red Bull was still the best place for him. In both respects, things appear to have changed in 2026.

For the first time, Verstappen can activate his clause. After the dramatic end to the British Grand Prix, Verstappen can no longer officially be in the top two of the world championship at the summer break. That would allow him to trigger a clause and leave Red Bull. Contractually, he doesn’t have to inform Red Bull of this until October.

And that’s where the friction lies right now. In recent seasons Red Bull has done a lot—if not everything—to keep Verstappen on board. It was known that 2026, with the new engine, would be a transition year, and Red Bull has delivered. The combustion engine was immediately competitive; only the electric part of the power unit and especially the car designed by Pierre Waché fell short. Still, the Frenchman’s technical team has worked hard to make Red Bull competitive again.

According to De Limburger, the Red Bull top brass is therefore extremely irritated that Verstappen is putting them on hold yet again. After all these years, the shareholders had counted on more credit from Verstappen. In their view, De Limburger reports, he has been able to add hundreds of millions to his bank account, and they feel Verstappen could show a bit more gratitude.

Still, there’s something to be said for Verstappen’s side. Those clauses are in his contract, signed by Dietrich Mateschitz and Helmut Marko at the start of 2022. He won’t just let Red Bull buy them out either, as that would make him less flexible. He wants to see Red Bull truly close the gap before he fully commits to the team.

According to the same newspaper, questions are also being raised about the motorsport expertise within Red Bull Racing. After rounds of layoffs, little of that would remain. Those who were let go were largely replaced by people from Red Bull’s football division. The only person with real motorsport know-how would be Laurent Mekies, and the question is whether that’s enough for Verstappen to head into the future with confidence.

The coming weeks will reveal where Verstappen’s future lies. He has until October to inform Red Bull of his decision, but if he wants to join another team, the ball may need to start rolling a bit sooner. Given current tensions, the same newspaper says it’s no longer out of the question that the Limburger is ready for something new after twelve years with Red Bull. Even an early exit from Formula 1 or taking a sabbatical year are serious options.