Helmut Marko dismissed Ralf Schumacher’s claims, suggesting that Max Verstappen may have caused a collision with George Russell to trigger an exit clause in his contract. The Red Bull senior advisor called the theory irrelevant and expressed a desire to confront the former F1 driver over the comments.

Schumacher had speculated that Verstappen might have an exit clause allowing him to leave the team if he falls outside the top three in the drivers’ championship. He suggested the Dutchman’s move against Russell at the Spanish GP could have stemmed from frustration with the Red Bull car and his desire to leave the team.

Marko firmly rejected the theory, saying there has been excessive speculation around any exit clause in Verstappen’s contract. He called the idea nonsense and stressed that if Verstappen truly wanted to activate such a clause, he would have far more rational means than intentionally colliding with a competitor.

Asked about Schumacher’s theory about Max Verstappen’s exit clause in the contract, Marko said (via OE24):

“I don’t know where he said that nonsense. But Max could arrange that in a much more elegant way.”

Asked about the theory that if Max Verstappen has an exit clause which requires him to be outside the top three of the drivers’ championship, Marko replied:

“Other alleged exit clauses are popping up everywhere. This is all irrelevant at the moment.”

Asked if he’ll confront Schumacher about his theory, the Red Bull veteran said:

“The next time I meet him, I’ll tell him.”

Helmut Marko believes Red Bull’s performance is more worrying than Max Verstappen’s incident with George Russell

Helmut Marko believes that Red Bull’s overall performance has been more concerning than Max Verstappen’s incident with George Russell during the Spanish GP. He claimed the team is three-tenths of a second slower than McLaren and noted that their tyre life was shorter in Barcelona.

The Red Bull senior advisor suggested that Verstappen is becoming demotivated in the drivers’ championship and appears to be resigning from the fight. Marko emphasised the importance of not giving up but acknowledged that the car needs significant improvement.

He also stressed that Red Bull cannot rely solely on Verstappen when the competition is this tight. According to him, the four-time world champion needs a competitive car to challenge a strong opponent like McLaren, who currently has a more versatile package.

Marko said about Red Bull’s performance at the Spanish GP:

“Our car is not fast enough. That upsets me even more than the action from Max. We are still three tenths behind McLaren.”

Asked if he was being too pessimistic, he replied:

“Nevertheless, we’re at least three-tenths behind in terms of speed. In Barcelona, we saw that our tires were wearing out after ten laps, while McLaren was gaining ground.”

Asked if Max Verstappen is slowly resigning from the fight for the driver’s championship, Marko said:

“That’s how it is. I try to straighten it up: We don’t give up, but something has to be done with the car.”

Reminded that they have relied on the Max Verstappen factor when they have been on the back foot with performance, he replied:

“But not against such a strong opponent. The McLarens are strong on every track. But you’re right: the car has to be competitive, then Max gets the rest.”

Max Verstappen is currently third in the drivers’ championship with a total of 137 points. He is 39 points away from Lando Norris, who is second, and 49 points away from Oscar Piastri, who leads the championship.

With Red Bull struggling for performance from the beginning of the 2025 season, the Dutchman has made the difference on the tracks with his talent. However, on the days he fumbles, the points loss is significant. The Red Bull RB21 has not suited every circuit, whereas McLaren has a car that suits every track, a point Marko pointed out.

Red Bull’s primary struggle has been the car’s narrow performance window, making it tricky to drive and extract the maximum potential from. With their current upgrades not paying significant dividends, they are in a race against time to turn around their performance woes.