Jos Verstappen has slammed former Red Bull test driver Robert Doornbos for his comments on Max Verstappen’s contract. Doornbos highlighted exit clauses in Max’s F1 contract, which could reportedly pave the way to his exit.
This comes amid rumors about Max’s potential Red Bull exit to join Mercedes, after George Russell revealed that his contract extension was on hold due to ongoing talks between Max and Mercedes.
The four-time world champion is said to have been approached not only by Mercedes but also by Aston Martin. Given that his 2025 F1 car, the RB21, cannot match the pace of McLaren’s MCL39, Max has been struggling to secure victories as before.
Mark Thompson/Getty Images
The past eleven rounds of the 2025 season saw him win only two races, as opposed to the previous year when he won seven out of the first ten Grands Prix. Max also suffered a DNF last weekend at the Austrian Grand Prix after Mercedes’ Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed into him. That places Max third in the championship standings, and only nine points separate him and Russell in fourth.
Consequently, Red Bull suffered greatly in its championship battle, with the team now placed fourth in the Constructors’ Championship. Yuki Tsunoda’s ongoing struggles with the RB21 are not helping either. Doornbos revealed that Verstappen’s Red Bull contract will activate an exit clause if he drops to fourth place in the championship standings. Speaking to Race Café De Stamtafel, he said:
“If the exit clauses are correct, because of course there are two clauses actually, then one will be activated if Max is not in the top two among the drivers.
“And if Red Bull is not in the top three among the constructors, then one will also be activated.
“The other one is about third place among the constructors, I’m 100 per cent sure it’s in there. If a constructor can no longer deliver, then Max cannot deliver. And Red Bull is fourth.
“He’s leaving.
“Red Bull’s fairy tale stops at some point. As much as you would like to see it go ahead.”
However, Jos Verstappen has ridiculed Doornbos’s claims by commenting on the social media post by Ziggo Sports. Planet F1 reported his comment:
“Doornbos talks like a headless chicken.”
Regardless of the claims, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff clarified in Austria that while Russell and Kimi Antonelli would likely form the 2026 driver lineup, his pursuit of Max will continue in the team’s long-term interest. He said:
“I think when you look at the situation we have with Kimi [Antonelli] and George, we have a perfect line-up that we very much enjoy, that we believe is the future.
“But at the same time, there is a four-time World Champion that needs to decide what he’s going to do in the future, and that is just, as a team principal, you need to see where that is going.”
He added:
“Nothing needs, in a way, to come towards favourable for us, because with George and Kimi is what we want to be and what we want to continue.
“But, in order to plan right for the long term of the future, you’ve got to understand what other people do.”
About the Author
