Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez contract clauses in double Helmut Marko reveal

Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko could not shut down renewed Max Verstappen to Mercedes speculation for 2025, while he did not guarantee Sergio Perez’s place either.

It was during the early stages of F1 2024 that Verstappen exit talk grew louder, as Red Bull navigated the scrutiny after parent company Red Bull GmbH dismissed a case brought against team principal Christian Horner by a fellow employee regarding his behaviour. But, the Verstappen speculation has bubbled back up since.

Helmut Marko admits Max Verstappen clauses exist for Red Bull exit

Verstappen’s father Jos emerged as one of Horner’s harshest critics during that saga, calling for him to leave, with tensions recently spiking again related to Jos pulling out of a Legends Parade in Austria, for which he pointed the finger at Horner and said he was “finished” with him .

German publication Auto Bild report that Jos would therefore like to see his son join Mercedes for F1 2025, with their team principal Toto Wolff having already made it clear that they would love to sign Verstappen as they search for their Lewis Hamilton successor.

This speculation was put to Marko, who admitted that clauses exist in Verstappen’s contract “that make it possible” that he makes a sudden exit.

Mercedes has made major gains over recent rounds, the team having won back-to-back races at the Red Bull Ring and Silverstone, locking out the front row at the latter.

“There are clauses in Max’s contract that make it possible – if certain things happen – to leave the team at any time,” said Marko.

F1 driver market speculation continues at pace

👉 Several F1 drivers at centre of strong Helmut Marko accusation over blocking seats

👉 Next F1 2025 move ‘imminent’ as current driver faces exit – report

The future of Verstappen’s Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez has also been the subject of intense speculation, but for very different reasons, with the Mexican having fallen into a fresh performance slump despite signing a new multi-year deal.

Perez has suffered three Q1 eliminations across his last five race weekends, and has not made the podium since April’s Chinese Grand Prix.

Asked by OE24 why Perez is so far behind Verstappen, Marko revealed: “With all the bad luck he’s had, he’s also mentally battered.”

Such is the severity of Perez’s plight, there has been talk of a Red Bull driver swap over the summer break. PlanetF1.com understands that a clause exists in Perez’s contract that would allow for such an event.

It has been reported that Red Bull’s option to activate that clause relies on Perez being 100 points behind Verstappen at the summer break, the current gap 137.

Marko was pressed on this rumour, and again hinted at contract clauses existing on Perez’s side.

“Almost all top drivers have performance clauses in their contracts,” said Marko.

OE24’s version is that this points gap clause applies to Perez’s F1 2025 position at Red Bull, so asked if Perez therefore will not certainly remain a Red Bull driver for next season, Marko replied: “What is certain in Formula 1?”

Red Bull will look to return to winning ways at the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix…

Read next: Five Hungarian GP questions: Hamilton’s Hungary dominance and last chance for Sergio Perez?