The two-year extension signed ahead of the Dutch Grand Prix has been framed as Max Verstappen committing his future to Red Bull, but his father has now confirmed the deal still contains an exit route.
Jos Verstappen, Max’s father and long-time paddock voice, has confirmed that the extension contains performance-related clauses, the terms of which will not be disclosed.
“Naturally, agreements have been made regarding this in the contract. We know what those agreements are, and Red Bull knows, and we are not going to broadcast them,” Jos Verstappen told RacingNews365.
“The most important argument is that there is mutual trust. Otherwise, of course, we wouldn’t have signed the contract.”
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He added that the family has not given up on Red Bull returning to competitiveness.
“Yes, there is confidence that we will get a winning car again at Red Bull.”
Extension signed at Zandvoort
Red Bull confirmed on 20 August that the four-time world champion’s deal, previously set to expire at the end of 2028, has been extended by two seasons through 2030. Max Verstappen will be 33 at the end of the term.
“I am really pleased with the contract extension. We have the best people and I’m excited to keep working together with everyone to get back to the top again,” Max Verstappen said in the team’s statement.
Team principal Laurent Mekies called the extension “fantastic news for everyone at Red Bull.”
A winless year under the new rules
The commitment lands in the middle of Verstappen’s most difficult season with the team. He sits sixth in the drivers’ standings after 11 rounds, 110 points behind leader Kimi Antonelli, according to Sky Sports.
Red Bull has not won a race in 2026. It is the first year of the new technical rules, and the first year of the team’s Ford-partnered in-house power unit, which has not met internal targets.
Former Ferrari race engineer Rob Smedley rated the team’s season 5/10 and told Motorsport Week they had “had too many basic problems.”
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Verstappen’s four podiums, in Canada, Austria, Belgium and Hungary, are the season’s high points.
The clause that nearly triggered this summer
The exit clause in the previous contract came close to being pulled this summer. Verstappen was outside the top two in the standings at the break, the threshold reported earlier this year, and his management held talks with McLaren before the decision was made to stay, Sky Sports reported.
The specifics of the new clauses have not been made public, but Jos Verstappen’s remarks make clear the same logic applies: Red Bull has to deliver a competitive car, or the door reopens.
The next competitive test comes on Sunday at Zandvoort.
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