Max Verstappen, four-time Formula 1 champion driver, has his future in the category still uncertain, even with just ten races completed in the current season. De acordo com informações da imprensa alemã, o holandês já preenche os requisitos que o liberariam de seu contrato com a Red Bull. This is due to the fact that it became mathematically impossible for him to reach second place in the championship before the European summer break, scheduled for August.
The essential condition that would prevent this clause from being activated was the achievement of second place in the F1 world championship in the first half of 2026. However, Verstappen currently occupies a modest seventh position in the drivers’ standings, accumulating just 76 points so far.
Second in the table is George Russell, from Mercedes, who has 154 points, an advantage of 78 over the four-time champion. With just two races remaining before the holidays – the Belgian Grand Prix and the Hungarian Grand Prix – there are a total of 50 points up for grabs. This means that, even in a scenario where Verstappen won both races and Russell didn’t score points, the Dutch driver would still be 28 points behind his rival.
To make matters worse, Verstappen faces drivers in the best phase of the championship, such as Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, a pair from Ferrari, who occupy third and fourth positions, respectively, and are the only ones outside of Mercedes to win races this season. Just behind, current champion Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, from McLaren, with two podiums each, are in fifth and sixth place in the general classification.
The possibility of Verstappen leaving the Red Bull team gained more strength due to another year full of challenges for the driver and the team. In 2025, Max had already considered the option of not fulfilling the remainder of his contract, but decided to remain and managed to secure runner-up in the world championship.
This season, however, the scenario is considerably more complex. Red Bull acts as a mere supporting player in a championship dominated by Mercedes, with Ferrari running on the outside in the dispute.
Poor performance and mechanical problems persist
The Dutchman has not achieved any victories in 2026 and has been dealing with a series of mechanical problems. This includes the instability of the rear of his car, which resulted in three accidents in qualifying and in the British Grand Prix race last Sunday, July 7th. He was also forced to abandon the Chinese and Monaco GPs due to failures in his vehicle.
In addition to the lower-than-expected results, Max Verstappen continues to express dissatisfaction with the new technical regulations of Formula 1. The 2026 cars depend on greater power from the electric motor, requiring constant management and recovery by the drivers through driving techniques. This change, which diverts the pilots’ attention to energy management, is criticized by him as a safety risk and an artificiality factor in the competitions, due to the abrupt drop in power when the battery is charging. These concerns, shared by many in the paddock about the challenge of maintaining “pure racing” versus “energy management”, have already led the 28-year-old to openly ponder possible retirement on several occasions this year.
Contractual scenario and team movements
In theory, Verstappen has a contract in force with Red Bull until the end of 2028. Even before the driver’s possible departure, his long-time engineer, Gianpietro Lambiase, has already announced that he will leave the Austrian team to join McLaren. At the same time, Red Bull would be in negotiations to try to buy the termination clause in the Dutchman’s contract, aiming to prevent his premature departure from the team.
Verstappen’s possible departure involves high figures and Red Bull leadership
The value involved in this contract clause purchase operation is in the tens of millions of euros. The negotiation includes the participation of important figures from the Austrian drinks brand, including sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff, majority shareholder Chalerm Yoovidhya and Mark Mateschitz, heir to the company’s late founder, Dietrich Mateschitz.
