Marko states that no 'Verstappen clauses' have been activated so far.

      "We need to enhance the competitiveness of the RB21."

      Dr. Helmut Marko may not see eye to eye with the recent driver choices made by Red Bull. The 81-year-old Austrian is recognized in the Formula 1 paddock for focusing mainly on driver selection and management. However, he has recently stated to Osterreich newspaper that he disagreed with the decision made last year to extend Sergio Perez's contract, which ultimately resulted in significant costs for the brand to terminate the agreement. "That wasn’t my decision," Marko remarked. "I didn’t select Perez; Christian (Horner) did." He hinted that a more suitable choice would have been Nico Hulkenberg. "He is a fantastic person, that’s clear," Marko said. "However, he signed a contract with Audi quite early in the previous season, while Perez was still performing well in the championship. That’s why he was no longer a viable option."

      Liam Lawson was designated as Perez’s replacement for 2025, but his poor early performances prompted Red Bull to reverse course and appoint Yuki Tsunoda instead. "Surprisingly, he hasn’t contacted me yet," the short Japanese driver mentioned at Suzuka. "That’s quite unusual. I’m eager to see him and to observe his reaction to me."

      Tsunoda was comparably close to Max Verstappen’s pace during initial practice, and Marko also sounded optimistic. "Yuki knows the track thoroughly," he commented to sport.de. "He’s adapted to the car using the simulator." Indeed, Tsunoda noted that even Verstappen was receptive to his suggestions for better configuring the challenging RB21. "After that, Max tested that setup in the simulator and mentioned it felt good," he shared. "I heard that Max will begin the practice session with a setup similar to mine."

      Regarding the ongoing whispers about management disarray at Red Bull, they are only increasing speculation that Verstappen might consider activating a performance-related clause to leave. "We need to improve the RB21’s competitiveness," Marko told RTL. "However, as it stands now, there are no active clauses." Some speculate that Verstappen’s recent remarks hint he might be looking toward a 2026 reunion with Honda and Adrian Newey by moving to Aston Martin. "You’re putting words in my mouth now," the Dutch driver told a Japanese journalist on Thursday.

      In response to queries about rumors suggesting Verstappen's management is already in discussions with other teams, including Mercedes, Marko stated: "At the moment, I hope that is certainly not the case. We are aiming to win that fifth title, and the entire team is focused on this." Verstappen has made it clear that he did not agree with replacing Lawson so quickly. "I've shared my perspective," said the 27-year-old, "but how they handle my opinions is not my call. The primary issue is that the car isn’t good enough. We need to make it more drivable so that any driver in the other car can manage it."