Verstappen’s Exit Clause Not Linked to F1 Title Win: Marko

Red Bull Racing have been on the upward trajectory over the past couple of F1 seasons. And that has ultimately led them to a championship battle against an unstoppable Mercedes AMG. Now, with the team destined for a title, their hopes of beating the Stuttgart outfit rests on the flying Dutchman, Max Verstappen.

At least, it initially looked like Verstappen could finally steal the title from Lewis Hamilton and end the latter’s domination.

But, considering the sound comeback from Mercedes since the second race in Imola, the target yet again seems a bit too far-fetched for the Milton Keynes outfit.

So, what if Red Bull fail to keep up with the ever-rising Mercedes, and deny Verstappen his first world championship trophy this season? Will the Dutchman consider looking for other options, possibly using any of the clauses in his contract?

Well, Red Bull’s advisor, Dr. Helmut Marko, has the answer to this question. While rumors swirled around that Verstappen could head out of Red Bull if the team fails to offer him a championship-winning-worthy car in 2021, the 78-year-old rejected such stories.

What did the Red Bull F1 advisor say?

Speaking to Motorsport-Magazin, the Austrian clarified that winning the title this season is quite important for Verstappen and Red Bull. However, when viewed from the perspective of contractual clauses, Marko revealed that it doesn’t matter for the team nor their star driver.

In the process, he also took a dig at McLaren‘s boss, who earlier this season, predicted that Verstappen will switch to Mercedes by the 2022 season.

“Among other things, there is the Zak Brown specialist [laughs]. That doesn’t matter in the contractual situation. But of course, it’s important,” he said. (Translated from German)

“It has been driving for a relatively long time and has always driven with inferior material. Now it’s got better thanks to Honda. Ferrari had a high too, but there were other reasons for that. In the hybrid era, the Mercedes engine was otherwise absolutely dominant.”

Overall, the ongoing title fight is immensely vital for Red Bull. Reason? This looks like a fairly rare opportunity for Red Bull, having played a second fiddle to Mercedes since 2014.

Hence, the Austrian outfit are likely to give their everything in the hope of winning a trophy in return. So, will they succeed in the pursuit of ending Mercedes‘ reign?

Read More: Max Verstappen & His Exit Clause: Here’s How He Can Join Mercedes or Ferrari F1