Verstappen clause leak 'wrong and confidential' - Marko

Red Bull's Helmut Marko has rubbished new rumours about Max Verstappen's alleged contract exit clause, calling the latest reports from the British press "nonsense".

According to the claims, Verstappen – a four-time world champion – would lose his ability to exit the team early if he remains in the top three of the drivers' championship through the end of June.

If he drops to P5 or lower, the reports said, he could trigger a release from his Red Bull deal, which currently runs through 2028.

The timing of the speculation raised eyebrows, particularly as Dutch outlet De Telegraaf – known to be close to the Verstappen camp – claims Mercedes boss Toto Wolff is "still flirting with Max Verstappen".

Marko didn't mince words in his response.

"The report is nonsense because it's wrong," he told Auto Bild.

He did, however, confirm that a clause of some kind does exist.

"There is a clause," the 82-year-old added, "but it's contractual and therefore confidential."

Even if no performance-based exit clause is active, there remains the possibility of a more informal outcome — that Verstappen and his management team could simply ask Red Bull to tear up the contract.

"Then it would get complicated," Marko admitted. "Didi Mateschitz always said that you shouldn't stop people leaving.

We just have to make sure he has no reason to want to."

Verstappen's management is handled by his father Jos — who famously clashed with team boss Christian Horner last year — and Raymond Vermeulen, who is also closely involved in guiding the driver's career.

Vermeulen indicated that this weekend's Spanish Grand Prix could be pivotal for assessing the strength of the 2025 Red Bull package.

"We'll see the truth in Barcelona," he said, referring to the Circuit de Catalunya's status as a benchmark track for overall car performance.