Red Bull could ‘legally’ struggle to stop Max Verstappen leaving this season after Bahrain Grand Prix disaster

The future of Max Verstappen has been a topic of discussion in the Formula 1 paddock for years.

After Red Bull dominated F1 in an unprecedented way in 2023, rumours started to swirl as soon as Max Verstappen wasn’t winning every race the following year that he might start exploring his options.

Mercedes have held an interest in Verstappen for quite some time, while Aston Martin are preparing a mammoth offer for Verstappen should he decide to quit the Anglo-Austrian team.

This all revolves around two key issues: does Verstappen want to leave Red Bull, and can they stop him?

Verstappen’s current contract runs until 2028, however, it’s not quite as straightforward as that.

Red Bull inserted performance clauses in Verstappen’s contract, and theoretically, he could start negotiating an exit as soon as this summer.

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How Red Bull could ‘legally’ lose out on Max Verstappen after Bahrain Grand Prix disaster

The Bahrain Grand Prix highlighted plenty of worrying issues for Red Bull, with Verstappen finishing sixth and Yuki Tsunoda only able to secure P9.

Helmut Marko and Christian Horner are well aware of the issues facing the team on track, while the prospect of Verstappen leaving presents a much longer-term problem.

Journalist Andrew Benson was speaking on the Chequered Flag Podcast and explained the latest information he had received about Verstappen’s contract situation.

He said: “We’ve come to Bahrain, where they’ve just been dire, frankly. In the context of Red Bull’s own expectations of themselves.

“Not only has the performance of the car been exposed, and it’s been exposed because it lacks balance, it lacks grip, and the asphalt is rough, so there’s no place to hide; it exacerbates all the problems.

“Operationally, they’re not on the level that they were last year. Two bad pit stops for Verstappen, one bad pit stop for Tsunoda, at least, from their point of view, it’s just not good enough.

“And big picture, it raises all sorts of interesting questions because Verstappen’s contract says he can leave if his car isn’t a winning car, and right now, OK, he won in Japan, but legally, they’d find it hard to sustain an argument that it was a winning car.”

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Helmut Marko responds to Red Bull’s concerns over Max Verstappen’s future

Marko’s future has long been connected with Verstappen’s, but he’s far more concerned now than he has been in the past about the Dutchman leaving.

Speaking to Sky DE after the race in Bahrain, Marko said: “The concern is huge. There must be improvements that will allow him to win. We can’t depend on random events like the rain in Brazil or the magic lap in Japan.

“That we have a better practice program on Friday, that we rev the engine to know where we stand.

“We need to create assumptions rather than facts. We’re barely getting the car halfway ready for qualifying.

“The hard tyre didn’t work for us at all. If we had more organized practice, we might have figured it out by Friday.

“We have very good people, but they need to look inside themselves, and everyone needs to be open and honest. We know the car isn’t competitive. But why is that?”

Verstappen is working harder than ever behind the scenes at Red Bull to try and solve their issues.

However, there has been an exodus of their best backroom staff, and the jury is out on whether those who are left can build a championship-winning car in 2026 when the regulations change.

Red Bull might be powerless to stop Verstappen leaving from a legal standpoint, but whether he decides to take that plunge is another matter.