There has been much speculation surrounding Helmut Marko’s future at Red Bull, as it would also affect Max Verstappen’s future. The Dutchman is said to have 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 amid rumours surrounding his suspension following the Christian Horner saga in March this year. Now, Motorsport.com reports that Marko has signed a ‘side letter’ confirming his stay at the Milton Keynes-based team.

With this letter, the Austrian advisor can stay at Red Bull until the end of 2026 or the agreed contract period. Since this side letter secures Marko’s position, it means that Verstappen will most likely not want to leave either.

According to reports about the Marko clause in his contract, the three-time champion was quite adamant that Red Bull would not suspend the Austrian after the Saudi Arabian GP. This opened the door for interest from Mercedes who wanted to sign Verstappen along with Marko if things between them and Red Bull turned sour.

Now that Marko has confirmed his stay at the Austrian team with this side letter, the reported clause in Verstappen’s contract cannot be activated. As a result, Mercedes’ plans to sign the Dutchman to replace Lewis Hamilton in 2025 are ruined.

Verstappen could still leave Red Bull if he wanted to, but only by activating performance clauses in his contract. As it stands, the Milton Keynes squad leads both championships and has a car fast enough for Verstappen to consistently challenge for race wins.

So it’s unlikely he’ll want to leave Red Bull unless Mercedes performs relatively better. The 2026 rules seem to be the Silver Arrows’ best hope of landing the three-time champion. For now, they’ll have to focus on options like Kimi Antonelli and Carlos Sainz to fill Hamilton’s shoes for 2025.