‘Side Letter’ Confirming Helmut Marko’s Stay at Red Bull Might Have Ended Max Verstappen to Mercedes Saga

There was a lot of speculation about Helmut Marko’s future at Red Bull as it was also going to affect Max Verstappen’s future. The Dutchman reportedly has a clause in his contract that gives him the freedom to leave Red Bull if Marko leaves. However, the 81-year-old had agreed to extend his contract during the rumors of his suspension following the Christian Horner saga in March this year. Now, Motorsport.com reports that Marko has signed a ‘side letter’ which confirms his stay at the Milton Keynes outfit.

With this letter, the Austrian advisor may stay at Red Bull till the end of 2026 or for the agreed contract period. Since this side letter secures Marko’s position, it means Verstappen most likely would not look to leave either.

⚠️ | Helmut Marko confirms to @telegraaf that his contract commitment to Red Bull has recently officially changed to until 2026.

It is said to be affected with the clause tied to Max revealed earlier this year.

[https://t.co/RRQKrDFhX5]#F1 #HungarianGP

— RBR News (@redbulletin) July 20, 2024

As per the reports around the Marko clause in his contract, the three-time champion was quite adamant about Red Bull not suspending the Austrian after the Saudi Arabian GP. This opened the doors for interest from Mercedes wanting to sign Verstappen along with Marko if things turned sour between them and Red Bull.

Now, with Marko re-affirming his stay at the Austrian team with this side letter, the reported clause in Verstappen’s contract cannot be activated. As a result, it ruins Mercedes’ plans to secure the Dutchman to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025.

Verstappen may still be able to leave Red Bull if he wishes to but only by triggering performance clauses in his contract. As things stand, the Milton Keynes outfit is leading both championships and has a quick enough car for Verstappen to fight for race wins consistently.

So, it is unlikely that he may want to leave Red Bull unless Mercedes become relatively better in performance. The 2026 regulations seem the best hope for the Silver Arrows to poach the three-time champion. Currently, they will have to focus on options like Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz to fill Hamilton’s shoes for 2025.