Does Verstappen rule himself out of the transfer?

2025-05-29 Does Verstappen rule himself out of the transfer?

If Max Verstappen has a 50-point lead over Charles Leclerc after the Spanish Grand Prix, he practically excludes himself from the possibility of a transfer.

It was big news back then that Verstappen signed a mega contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028. But... It includes a clause stating that if his name is not in the top 4 at the 2025 Austrian Grand Prix, he will become a free agent. This contract was updated last year due to the Horner scandal, but only the part of the clause that states the driver can leave even if Helmut Marko leaves Red Bull Racing was removed.

What was undecided back then can happen now: Verstappen is currently in third place in the World Championship standings, 25 points behind the leader Oscar Piastri, and 57 points ahead of fifth-placed Charles Leclerc. As we mentioned in our introduction, if he retains 50 of those 57 points after the Spanish Grand Prix, it is already certain that he will be in fourth place after the remaining two races. And then there will be no more speculation for a year; Max Verstappen will stay at Red Bull Racing.

In the meantime, we can speculate whether there will be a "coincidental" accident for Verstappen or perhaps a technical failure?