Surprise statements from Vermeulen
As has been the case for two years now, the summer of 2026 is also marked by the ‘chorus’ related to the exit clauses included in the contract binding Max Verstappen to Red Bull.
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Before the start of the 2022 World Championship, which began with some difficulties and was then dominated by Red Bull and Verstappen coming off the success achieved in 2021, they officially renewed the Dutch driver’s contract until 2028.
According to what has emerged, Verstappen in this 2026 can exercise the exit clause from the contract because arithmetically he will not be second in the Drivers’ Championship at the time the summer break begins after the Hungarian GP, although the BBC reports that the clause is only valid from October, not before.
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Reached by the Austrian outlet oe24, Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, poured cold water on the idea of an imminent transfer of Max elsewhere: “There is a lot written about it. But the truth is that Max wants to complete his journey with Red Bull. He has a contract until 2028 and would like to honor it. The fact that the clause exists does not mean we will activate it. We could have done so in previous years, but we did not. I believe he will win some races this year, probably not at Spa, but the chances will increase at Budapest and Zandvoort. The Red Bull engine has proven to be better than expected.”
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