Max Verstappen could soon be free to leave Red Bull if this happens – but there's a catch
The rumours surrounding Max Verstappen had died down for a while, but they've reignited following the Red Bull driver's disappointing outing at the recently held Austrian Grand Prix.
He was hit by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, which forced him to retire early at his team's home race. This incident widened the gap between him and the leading McLaren duo in the 2025 Formula 1 Driver Standings, potentially triggering a clause in his contract that could allow him to switch teams before the end of his tenure.
Report claims Max Verstappen is set to leave for Mercedes
The speculation made headlines again when a new Sky Italy report claimed that Mercedes boss Toto Wolff had reached a provisional agreement with Verstappen, after an exit clause in his contract reportedly became active following the Austrian Grand Prix.
After the race, Verstappen remains third in the F1 Driver Standings with 155 points. However, he is now just 9 points ahead of Mercedes' George Russell, who finished fifth in Austria and earned 10 points. Meanwhile, he trails significantly behind Oscar Piastri, who leads the standings with 216 points, and Lando Norris, who sits second with 201.
Several reports suggest that Max Verstappen will be free to decide his future if he drops out of the top three in the Driver Standings.
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Here's why it may not be easy for Mercedes to poach Max Verstappen
Sky Sports reporter Craig Slater explained, 'As far as Red Bull is concerned, there has been no approach to them from Mercedes, nor, according to them, has Max Verstappen given any indication to senior management that he wants to leave at the end of the season and join another team.'
But there's a major catch. Slater added, 'My understanding is that for Max to trigger his contractual release clause, he has to be outside the top four in the Driver Standings.
He's currently third, and if he were to buy out his contract, it would cost hundreds of millions of pounds.'
Slater also noted that neither Red Bull nor Mercedes has officially responded to any of the reports.
What happened at the Austrian Grand Prix
In the last race at the Red Bull Ring in Austria, Max Verstappen couldn't pull off a miracle on his team's home turf and failed to finish the race. He was hit by Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli, which led to an early retirement.
Antonelli later apologised to Verstappen, and the latter was gracious in his response. In a post following the race, Verstappen wrote on Instagram, 'Unfortunately my race was over at turn 3, but these things happen. Proud of all the support throughout the weekend, thank you.'
Also Read:
Austrian Grand Prix 2025: Lando Norris beats Oscar Piastri to claim third win of the season as Max Verstappen retires after collision with Kimi Antonelli
However, many races remain that could still shake up the Driver Standings. Next up is the British Grand Prix — the home race of the latest winner, Lando Norris.
Game On Season 1 continues with Mirabai Chanu's inspiring story. Watch Episode 2 here.
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