MX23RW : Wednesday, November 20 00:39:17| >> :120:55927:55927:

Marko 'not worried' about Verstappen exit clause

Marko 'not worried' about Verstappen exit clause
© Reuters
Dr Helmut Marko says he is "not worried" about the exit clause in Max Verstappen's Red Bull contract.

Dr Helmut Marko says he is "not worried" about the exit clause in Max Verstappen's Red Bull contract.

Just prior to the Dutchman's sensational win in Austria, 21-year-old Verstappen would not deny the rumours of an exit and his management confirmed the existence of the exit clause.

But the win in Austria, and Red Bull-Honda's uptick in performance and results, appear to have calmed that story.

Germany's Auto Bild speculates that by the time of the summer break in August, only if Verstappen is outside the top three drivers in the championship will the clause be valid.

Currently, he is third, just three points ahead of Sebastian Vettel.

"It's performance-related," Red Bull driver manager Marko said. "I'm not worried right now."

Clearly, Red Bull would like to keep Verstappen on board, whilst acknowledging the need to give him a fully competitor car.

"When I said in 2015 that a new Ayrton Senna is coming, some experts criticised me about that. But now no one criticises," said Marko.

"The victory on Sunday was an important step. Max knows what he has with us and Honda, and the Honda people showed what they are capable of doing.

"The first time they used a new, more aggressive engine software this season was a big step forward for us, and there will be another step on the engine in Monza," he added.

"We are also improving on the chassis side in every race, so that now I can say confidently that when the others falter, we are there."

ID:363944: cacheID:363944:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:2486:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Austrian GP on June 30, 2019
Read Next:
Verstappen still has 'a year to go' - Marko
>
rhs 2.0


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!