Max Verstappen can officially walk away from Red Bull. He sits 103 points behind championship leader Kimi Antonelli following a disastrous British Grand Prix. Because of that gap, he mathematically cannot finish in the top two of the drivers’ standings before the summer break. That specific drop officially triggers the exit clause in his current contract.
Things fell apart at Silverstone. Red Bull’s “Macarena” rear wing concept failed mid-race and launched Verstappen’s RB22 into the gravel for his third zero-point finish of the 2026 season. The frustration started before the lights even went out. Red Bull refused to change his Ford-backed engine ahead of the race, forcing him to drive a power unit plagued with ongoing drivability issues.
The structural collapse extends beyond the car itself. Gianpiero Lambiase, Verstappen’s long-time race engineer and Head of Racing, is officially packing up and moving to McLaren.
So where does a frustrated champion go? Sky Sports analyst Martin Brundle pointed out a harsh reality. Ferrari, McLaren, and Mercedes already firmly locked in their driver lineups for 2027. Mercedes even rejected a proposed three-year deal from Verstappen’s camp, turning the driver away after he offered to accept a reduced €50 million salary.
Verstappen has until October to formally tell Red Bull if he is leaving. Brundle compared the standstill to Lewis Hamilton’s past team shifts, noting Verstappen might need a complete team reset after spending his entire frontline F1 career in the Red Bull system.