Red Bull shake-up: Verstappen drops ‘undisclosed clause’ that team didn’t know existed

December 11, 2025 Oliver Obel

Max Verstappen’s narrow defeat in the championship fight at Abu Dhabi capped a dramatic end to the season, but the more consequential story for Red Bull may be unfolding off the track. The team is navigating a quiet but meaningful reshuffle involving Verstappen’s long-term deal and the exit of one of the organisation’s most influential figures.

A loyalty clause that no longer exists

SPORTbible reported that Verstappen’s contract once contained several mechanisms that could allow him to leave the team, including a clause tying his future to that of senior advisor Helmut Marko. Provisions like this aren’t unheard of in Formula One, particularly when a driver’s career has been shaped by a single mentor or executive, but they rarely become public.

Verstappen’s loyalty to Marko is well established. Last year, when questions were raised about whether Marko had leaked internal information, Verstappen openly suggested he might reconsider his position if Marko were removed a sign of how intertwined their working relationship had become. No action was taken, and both continued on.

Marko acknowledges the change

Marko later confirmed to De Telegraaf, as relayed by Motorsport Week, that the clause has since been removed. He described the adjustment as part of an effort to create stability around the team’s long-term planning.
“The clause was changed or removed to lay a foundation for a successful company for the near future,” he said, adding that Verstappen’s adherence to his principles had remained constant since his early teens.

How the clause came to be and why it raised internal questions

Motorsport.com, cited by SPORTbible, reported that the clause was introduced after Verstappen’s 2022 contract was already finalized. According to sources referenced in that reporting, neither the F1 team nor team principal Christian Horner were informed at the time.

That detail gained attention because Marko’s role sits slightly outside the usual team structure. Horner has previously clarified that Marko’s employment was with Red Bull GmbH, the parent company, rather than the F1 team itself a distinction that may have influenced how the clause was added and interpreted.

The end of a defining chapter for Red Bull

Shortly after reports about the contract surfaced, Red Bull announced Marko’s departure after more than two decades with the company. In a joint statement, managing director Oliver Mintzlaff and team principal Laurent Mekies credited him with shaping nearly every major strategic decision that propelled the team from newcomer to serial champion. Mintzlaff called the move Marko’s own decision and described his tenure as marking “an extraordinary era.”

Red Bull has not publicly addressed the specifics of Verstappen’s contract update. But the combination of a removed loyalty clause and the departure of a major power broker represents a notable shift inside a team that has typically presented a united front. With the 2025 season approaching, the question now is whether Verstappen’s long-term commitment will remain untouched or whether this quiet restructuring signals deeper changes ahead.

Sources: SPORTbible, Motorsport.com, De Telegraaf, Motorsport Week