"Contract or no contract, he'll change his mind" - Helmut Marko shares his honest opinion on Max Verstappen's future at Red Bull
Red Bull's Helmut Marko feels that Max Verstappen's stay at the team depends entirely on the car that the team provides the driver. The Dutch driver has been a part of the outfit since 2016. He made his debut in the sport in 2015 with Toro Rosso and was promptly promoted to the senior in 2016.
After making an immediate impact when he won his very first race with Red Bull in 2016 at the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen has been an integral part of the squad. After taking a year or so to fully mature, the driver was the best on the grid by 2021. That was also the year in which the driver won his first title with the team.
In 2022, Verstappen signed a mega deal with Red Bull that takes his partnership with the team to the 2028 F1 season. There are, however, exit clauses in these contracts as well that would entirely depend on the kind of performance that the driver puts together.
Red Bull's stutter in 2024 meant that Verstappen was linked with multiple teams, but the Red Bull advisor, Marko feels that the only reason the driver would be looking at a change of teams is if the squad cannot give him a strong car. When questioned about Verstappen's future, Marko said,
"It's no secret that Max's contract has performance clauses. Max wants to win. And he wants to feel like we're doing our utmost to achieve that. That's a challenge for us. If he doesn't feel like everything is being done to provide him with the optimal car, then there's a risk, contract or no contract, that he'll change his mind," said Marko in an interview with Auto Motor Sport.
He added,
"It's very important for us to prove to him that we can build him a winning car. Given the current competitive landscape, winning doesn't mean we have to win 20 races. But we have to be able to compete in the races where we can win and otherwise score enough points," he added.
Helmut Marko on Max Verstappen's love of sim racing and the impact on his driving
Max Verstappen has become a bit of a pioneer in how he has used sim racing to supplement his F1 driving. Marko was questioned if what the Dutch driver does could be a blueprint for others, to which the Austrian felt that something like that was unique to the Dutch driver. He said,
"If it had the same impact as it did for Max, it would certainly make sense. Max knows every racing situation. Nothing is new to him. If he hasn't experienced it in real life, then he's experienced it in the simulator. But for Max, it's more than a training tool."
He added,
"He has his own team and is even involved in software development. It's fun and a pastime for him. It naturally has a positive effect. Therefore, it's of little use to tell a driver to sit in a simulator at home. If they don't put their heart and soul into it and go into the same level of detail as Max does, it won't have the same impact," Marko concluded.
Verstappen is aiming to emulate Michael Schumacher's record of five consecutive titles in F1 this year. The driver does have an uphill climb in front of him but it would be interesting to see how he approaches the challenge.