Formula 1: Max Verstappen’s Red Bull Racing performance clause confirmed

Max Verstappen’s manager has confirmed that there is a performance clause in his current Formula 1 contract with Red Bull Racing.

Max Verstappen signed a three-year contract extension with Red Bull Racing in October of 2017 to continue driving for the team through the 2020 Formula 1 season, which would be his fifth consecutive season and his fourth consecutive full season driving for the team.

However, earlier this year, Red Bull Racing team manager Helmut Marko made a claim that Verstappen’s contract contains within it a performance clause that would allow him to leave the team following the 2019 season if they do not give him a car that is capable of winning this year’s championship.

This is particularly significant because of the fact that the 2019 season is Red Bull Racing’s first season using Honda engines after ending their 12-year partnership with Renault after last season.

With nine races of the 21-race 2019 schedule having been completed, Verstappen sits in third place in the driver standings behind the two Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport teammates, Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas in first and second, respectively.

Here is how the top three in the driver standings currently look.

Rank – Driver, Team: Points (Behind)
1st – Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes: 197 (0)
2nd – Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes: 166 (-31)
3rd – Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing: 126 (-71)

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These three drivers are the only three drivers who have won any races this season, and the Mercedes teammate have combined to earn eight victories.

As a result of the dominance that has been put on display by the Silver Arrows so far this season, Marko made another claim that he was concerned over whether or not Verstappen would leave Red Bull Racing after the 2019 season to join Mercedes even though his contract does not expire until the end of the 2020 season.

Now Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, has confirmed that there is, in fact, a performance clause in this contract, although he declined to reveal any specific details about it.

Here is what Vermeulen had to say about the matter, according to Express.

"“We confirm that there is a performance clause in the contract. But we will not make any further statements about its content. Red Bull and Verstappen know exactly what the agreements entail.”"

Before he left Red Bull Racing to join Scuderia Ferrari ahead of the 2015 season, Sebastian Vettel, a four-time champion with Red Bull Racing, had a contract to continue driving for the Milton Keynes-based team through the 2015 season.

However, he also had performance clauses within this contract that he was able to trigger to get out of the contract and leave Red Bull Racing after the 2014 season. He has driven for Ferrari ever since.

Could the same thing happen with Max Verstappen after the 2019 Formula 1 season? Given the fact that a performance clause has been confirmed in his current contract, the answer to that question would seem to be yes. However, depending on what the details of this clause are, it may very well be no.

Raymond Vermeulen’s statement pretty much confirmed what everybody was led to believe; it confirmed that there is plenty of room for speculation regarding the future of the 21-year-old Dutchman in Formula 1.