Formula 1: Max Verstappen’s performance exit clause has expired

Max Verstappen’s performance exit clause with Red Bull Racing reportedly expired prior to the 2019 Formula 1 summer break.

According to Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team manager Helmut Marko, the performance clause in Max Verstappen’s contract has expired and did so in the final race before the 2019 Formula 1 summer break, the Hungarian Grand Prix, at the Hungaroring on Sunday, August 4.

Marko revealed in April that the three-year contract the 21-year-old Dutchman signed in October of 2017 to remain with the team through at least the 2020 season contained a performance clause that could potentially allow Verstappen to leave the team after the 2019 season concluded if they did not give him a car capable of winning the championship.

This was a major focal point of much of the first half of the season because of the fact that this season is Red Bull Racing’s first season using Honda engines after ending their 12-year relationship with Renault at the end of the 2018 season.

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It was speculated that Verstappen could leave the Milton Keynes-based team to replace Valtteri Bottas at Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport considering how dominant the Silver Arrows were to start the season, winning the first eight and 10 of the first 12 races.

While Mercedes team principal and CEO Toto Wolff joined Verstappen and his father Jos in laughing off these rumors, Marko heated them up a few months later by expressing his concern over Verstappen leaving the team, and Jos added fuel to the fire by retweeting the article in which Marko was quoted.

According to Marko, the performance clause in Verstappen’s contract, which was confirmed a few weeks later by Verstappen’s manager, Raymond Vermeulen, was based on whether or not he was in the top three in the driver standings at the summer break. Because of how dominant Mercedes have been, he effectively needed to be the best non-Mercedes driver.

He is just that, as he sits in third place in the driver standings through the 21-race season’s first 12 races. He has scored 181 points so far this year. Scuderia Ferrari teammate Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc sit in fourth and fifth with 156 and 132 points, respectively.

Here is what Marko stated, according to Express.

"“I’m not great at maths, but Sebastian would have to win the [Hungarian Grand Prix] with Max not getting any points.”"

Entering the Hungarian Grand Prix, Verstappen sat in third place in the driver standings with 162 points, with Vettel being the only one of the two Ferrari drivers who had a chance to pass him in fourth with 141 points. Leclerc sat in fifth with 120 points.

Contrary to what Marko stated (and confirming the sentiment that he is “not great at maths”), Verstappen still could have scored points and still finished the race behind Vettel in the driver standings.

But the only way for Vettel to score 21 points in this race was to win and score 25 (and perhaps an additional point for recording the race’s fastest lap).

Had Vettel won the race and even scored 26 points by recording the race’s fastest lap, Verstappen would have needed to score more than four points (so at least six points with a top seven finish) to stay ahead of Vettel in the driver standings.

Verstappen ended up finishing the race in second place and scoring 19 points, including one for recording the race’s fastest lap, while Vettel finished in third and scored 15 points.

Here is what Marko had to say about this clause expiring, according to GiveMeSport.

"“It’s over on Sunday. The clause exists, and we have deliberately accepted, because it’s the first year with Honda, and there’s been so much speculation about negative results.”"

As a result, Max Verstappen is locked into his contract with Red Bull Racing through the 2020 Formula 1 season, although it was looking more and more like this would be the case anyway even had he entered the summer break outside of the top three in the driver standings given the progress that he and the team had made in their first season using Honda engines.