Those rumors faded in the spring, and last weekend, speaking for the first time in green teamwear, Adrian Newey put an end to the speculation. “As you can imagine, a champion always looks for the best car,” commented the ‘Genius’. “So if we want to be able to attract Max, we know we’ll have to build a winning car. Right now, there’s no point dreaming—it’ll take time before we’re capable of winning races.”
As the Aston Martin rumors died down, speculation grew around a possible move to Mercedes, fueled by the delay in George Russell’s contract renewal.
Once again, there have been no signs from either Max Verstappen or Mercedes, but the question remains: can Max really leave Red Bull? During the storm that hit the team last year, Verstappen’s contract (running until 2028) was renegotiated. It’s believed that Max received some financial benefit, but the clause allowing him to leave the team if Helmut Marko departed was removed.
So, is Verstappen now ‘locked in’ at Red Bull until the end of 2028? The answer is yes—but, as with all top driver contracts, there’s always a performance clause, a kind of insurance policy in case the team suffers a technical crisis.
In Verstappen’s case, this clause expires at the end of June and, according to information gathered by Motorsport.com, if Max is in the top four of the drivers’ standings after the Austrian Grand Prix, he won’t be able to exit the team.
Translated into points: if the Dutchman finishes the Barcelona weekend with at least a 50-point lead over Charles Leclerc, his future at Red Bull (at least through 2026) will be secured. A mutual separation doesn’t currently seem to be even a remote consideration for Christian Horner, and any other scenario would involve record-breaking penalty clauses that would go down in sporting history.
At the moment, Verstappen sits third in the standings behind the Piastri-Norris duo with 136 points. Behind him is George Russell with 99 points, followed by Charles Leclerc on 79. The gap between Max and Charles is currently 57 points, with three races remaining before the June 30 deadline.
It’s an open goal, but legally, arithmetic certainty is what counts. If Max Verstappen doesn’t lose more than 7 points to Leclerc this weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya, the clause will become void with two races to spare.
George Russell’s contract renewal also appears to be another piece of the puzzle. Mercedes insists everything is proceeding according to the original timeline, with the new deal set to be discussed ‘around the Spanish GP’. Russell is currently in a very strong position—his start to the season has been worthy of a true top driver, and he’s likely aiming for a salary that matches his performance.
Of course, his bargaining power wouldn’t be the same if Verstappen were on the market—but that leverage is about to disappear. By signing a two-year extension (out of sync with most contracts expiring at the end of 2026), George Russell would secure his place for the long term, hoping to finally get a winning car—something he hasn’t had since taking over Bottas’s seat in 2022. Looking ahead to 2026, the top team landscape seems likely to remain unchanged.
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