Verstappen quizzed on Red Bull future as exit clause moves into focus

Max Verstappen refused to comment on speculation over his Formula 1 future after a frustrating British Grand Prix left him in a position to trigger the reported Red Bull exit clause that could allow him to leave the team at the end of the season.

It has been widely reported that the Red Bull driver can trigger the clause if he is outside the top two positions at the summer break, and today he is seventh and 78 points down with a maximum of 50 in play.

Max Verstappen declines to discuss Red Bull future after British Grand Prix

Want more PlanetF1.com coverage? Add us as a preferred source on Google to your favourites list for news you can trust

Although Verstappen won four successive world titles with Red Bull from 2021, the team has been in decline since early 2024.

Marred by off-track speculation about then-team boss Christian Horner and allegations about his behaviour, Verstappen’s camp – led by his father Jos – warned that it could be the beginning of the end of the Milton Keynes team.

The team went on to lose the Constructors’ title to McLaren in 2024 and the Drivers’ in 2025, while this year Verstappen has two podium finishes in nine grands prix.

The Dutchman cut a frustrated figure at the British Grand Prix, where Red Bull denied his call to change his car after qualifying eight-tenths of a second off pole position.

Asked why, he replied: “I don’t know. I mean, I wanted to start from the pit lane. They were maybe confident to fix it.

“I was not.”

Verstappen’s Grand Prix ended early with the 28-year-old spinning out of the Grand Prix on Lap 48 of the 52-lap race when his Macarena rear wing failed to reattach properly after a straight-line mode zone.

Verstappen blasted it as “super dangerous”, but wouldn’t be drawn when asked if he felt Red Bull was not listening to him.

Nor would he weigh in on his F1 future in the heat of the moment.

“I’m not going to say anything about that,” he told PlanetF1.com and other accredited media at Silverstone.

“It’s not fair to say anything about that also right now.”

Verstappen’s refusal to comment on his future comes amid growing speculation that he could be off to McLaren next season.

Although Mercedes has been his rumoured destination for the last few years, the Dutch racer is now being linked to McLaren where he could replace Oscar Piastri.

While it is by no means a done deal, multiple paddock sources have suggested that McLaren and Verstappen are in the closing stages of a lengthy negotiation.

Asked if his frustrations with Red Bull’s on-track performances were straining his relationship with Red Bull, Verstappen replied: “It would be a very zen person to be optimistic at the moment with what happened again this weekend.

“I’m sorry, but it’s just like that.

“I need a few days, I think, to reset and try again.”

Go deeper: Max Verstappen’s Red Bull contract

F1 driver contracts: What is the contract status of every driver on the F1 2026 grid?

F1 2026 driver salaries: Who are the highest-paid drivers on the grid?

But while Verstappen has an exit clause, and one he can now reportedly exercise, that doesn’t mean he will.

Speaking to Bild last month, his manager Raymond Vermeulen said: “We have a contract until 2028. Of course there are exit clauses; there always have been. But we’ve never exercised one.

“On the contrary, we’ve always been loyal and will remain so.

“We want to continue on this path with Red Bull and for Max to end his career here – but, of course, with the chance to win.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Why Max Verstappen to McLaren has become impossible to ignore