Huge Max Verstappen update as Red Bull F1 2026 contract clause emerges
A huge update in Max Verstappen's future at the Red Bull F1 team has emerged.
Max Verstappen is reportedly set to trigger a clause in his Red Bull contract that will keep him at the team for the 2026 F1 season.
An exit clause in Verstappen’s Red Bull deal, which runs until the end of 2028, is said to be on the verge of closing should he remain inside the top four of the F1 world drivers’ championship by the end of June.
That is according to Motorsport, who claim the four-time world champion’s option to quit Red Bull will no longer be valid providing he remains in the top four after next month’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Verstappen currently lies third in the world championship, 25 points behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Crucially for Red Bull’s hopes of retaining him, the Dutchman is 57 points clear of Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who sits fifth.
That means that if Verstappen were to be at least 50 points clear of Leclerc by the end of this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix, he could not be caught for P4 before Austria, with only the Canadian Grand Prix taking place between those events.
Verstappen future speculation finally put to bed?
Verstappen’s future has been subject to intense speculation and debate for over a year, with Red Bull’s star driver continually linked with moves away.
Mercedes were known to be interested in securing Verstappen’s services after publicly courting him for much of 2024 as they searched for a replacement for Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton, though Toto Wolff stressed he was no longer on the team’s “radar” at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix.
Instead, Mercedes are focusing on continuing with their current driver line-up formed of Kimi Antonelli and George Russell, who is in negotiations over a contract extension with his existing deal set to expire at the end of the campaign.
Verstappen has also been heavily linked with Aston Martin and a reunion with former Red Bull design guru Adrian Newey, who started work at the Silverstone-based team in March.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 during his first appearance for Aston Martin this season at the Monaco Grand Prix, Newey suggested Verstappen will “always chase the fastest car”.
"I mean Max, obviously a formidable competitor, but he's also a very simple beast - and I mean that in an entirely complimentary way,” Newey said.
"He just wants a fast car that he can showcase his talents in. So I suspect Max will always chase who he thinks will produce the fastest car."
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