Red Bull Fires Back at Schumacher Over Verstappen Exit Clause Comments
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has hit back at former Formula One driver Ralf Schumacher for his comments on Max Verstappen at the Spanish Grand Prix. Schumacher criticized the four-time world champion for the incident with George Russell and suggested that he was looking to activate an exit clause in his Red Bull contract that would pave the way to his exit from the team.
There has been much talk about Verstappen leaving Red Bull in the past few seasons, especially considering his interest in other forms of motorsports and the challenges he faced with the RB21. An incident during the race in Barcelona last weekend prompted Schumacher to suggest a theory that could see Verstappen part ways with the Milton Keynes outfit.
The race saw the 27-year-old driver maintain a healthy third position in the final leg of the race, but the safety car led him to switch to the only tires he had left - hard tires. This proved to be a huge disadvantage, especially since the other cars were running on soft tires.
Verstappen struggled for traction as soon as the race resumed, leading Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to capitalize on the situation and secure the last spot on the podium. Russell also tried his best to pass Verstappen at Turn 1, but made contact in the process.
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit...
Christian Horner, Team Principal of Oracle Red Bull Racing and Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on May 30, 2025 in Barcelona, Spain. MoreIn response, Verstappen swerved into the run-off area and got back on the track in front of Russell and behind Leclerc. Soon after, Verstappen's race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase advised him to hand the position back to Russell. Verstappen appeared furious on the team radio but adhered to the request.
However, he made contact with Russell soon after he was allowed to overtake. This move caused a significant uproar. The FIA stewards penalized Verstappen with a ten-second penalty and added three penalty points to his Super License. The time penalty meant he finished the race in P10, scoring just a single point.
The incident garnered considerable attention, and several pundits, including Schumacher, criticized Verstappen for his actions. Speaking to Sky Deutschland, he said:
"His behavior is a pity, he doesn't need that as a four-time world champion.
"I don't know what got into him. It is clear that frustration is on the way, but that should not be the case. I think he realised today that it's not going as hoped and that the update didn't work so well."
Revealing Verstappen's Red Bull exit theory, Schumacher added:
"You have to pay attention to why things like this happen and why he gets an unnecessary penalty if there is a clause.
"It's a critical phase."
Responding to Schumacher's comments, Horner dismissed his theory. He told BILD:
"This theory is the biggest nonsense possible. I haven't heard anything so stupid for a long time.
"Max is a racer through and through. He always wants to win and would never act like that."
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