As Red Bull Racing faced internal turmoil earlier this year due to Christian Horner’s investigation for alleged misconduct and rumors of others taking advantage of it, details about Max Verstappen’s contract emerged.
No Helmut Marko Clauses Hidden in Sergio Perez’s Contract Supporting the motorsport advisor in a ‘he stays, I stay’ ultimatum, PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher revealed that a contract clause in Verstappen’s contract allowed him to leave if Marko’s tenure ends.
According to Maher’s report, this clause was supposedly added without the knowledge of Horner or other top members of the parent company, possibly due to Marko’s role as a director of Red Bull Racing.
This marks the second notable clause in a Red Bull contract, with reports suggesting that design guru Adrian Newey’s contract is tied to Horner’s.
However, Perez relies solely on his performance, with the Mexican driver stating that he has no such clause related to Marko, Newey, or anyone else. “I don’t have such a clause,” Perez stated, according to Motorsport.com.
When asked about Verstappen’s Marko clause, he added, “I don’t know what clauses Max has in his contract; you’ll have to ask him. He still has a contract with the team and is fully committed. I won’t comment further because that’s not my concern.”
Instead, Perez’s future depends on his on-track results. “I fully focus on achieving good results; that’s my job,” he said. However, according to former Ferrari team manager Peter Windsor, Perez need not worry about a clause since he has already signed with Red Bull for 2025.
“I heard from various reliable sources in the paddock area that Sergio has already extended his contract for next year,” Windsor said. “If that’s the case, then that door is closed for Carlos Sainz.”
