Red Bull have reportedly blinked. Rather than simply trying to buy out Max Verstappen‘s exit clause, the Milton Keynes outfit has gone further, offering the four-time world champion an entirely new contract running through to the end of 2029, with a salary bump and, crucially, no escape provisions attached.
The Offer on the Table
According to German newspaper Bild, the proposed deal would increase Verstappen’s already eye-watering annual salary, currently estimated at around $65 million, and extend his tenure at Red Bull by a full year beyond his existing 2028 agreement. The catch? Those performance-related exit clauses that have fuelled months of speculation would be gone entirely.
Verstappen’s camp has reportedly had the offer for several weeks. There has been no formal response. Make of that what you will.
Why the Exit Clause Actually Matters Right Now
This is not abstract contract talk. Verstappen sits sixth in the Drivers’ Championship, comfortably outside the threshold his current deal apparently requires for him to stay without question. That means the clause has, in all likelihood, already been triggered. He reportedly has until October to decide whether to act on it.
The awkward maths for Red Bull is stark. An October departure announcement would leave the team scrambling for a replacement with almost no elite options remaining on the market. Isack Hadjar is promising, but Verstappen-shaped holes are not easily filled.
What Verstappen’s Manager Actually Said
“We have a contract until 2028. Of course, there are release clauses, there always have been. But we have never exercised one. On the contrary. We have always been loyal and will remain so. We want to continue our journey with Red Bull and Max wants to end his career here, but of course with the opportunity to win.” – Raymond Vermeulen
That final phrase is doing a lot of heavy lifting. “The opportunity to win” is not a rubber stamp of confidence. It is a polite warning. After a difficult season for the RB22, Verstappen was still complaining about the car’s behaviour in Hungary, where he salvaged second from a troubled weekend.
The Alternatives Are Thin
Red Bull’s leverage here is partly that Verstappen’s options elsewhere are limited. Mercedes and Ferrari seats look closed. McLaren depends entirely on how things develop with Oscar Piastri. Retirement is theoretically on the table, and Verstappen has previously said he could walk away at any point.
That is not a comfortable negotiating position for a team trying to plan around new regulations.
A Summer of Silence
With the summer break now underway, resolution looks unlikely before September at the earliest. Red Bull’s senior leadership, including company heir Mark Mateschitz and sporting director Oliver Mintzlaff, are said to be eager to close this out. Verstappen, characteristically, appears to be in absolutely no hurry whatsoever.
The longer this drags on, the more uncomfortable it becomes for Red Bull. Max knows it. That is probably the point.
