He finished third in Canada, his first podium of the 2026 season. He battled Lewis Hamilton for second across the final laps in the kind of racing that reminded the sport why Verstappen at his best is still the most complete driver on the grid. And then, as the weekend wound down, the attention shifted to the same question it always shifts to when Red Bull struggles: how long will he stay?
Verstappen sits seventh in the drivers’ standings with 43 points after five races, a position that would have been unthinkable twelve months ago. The four-time world champion is not the problem. The car is. Red Bull were among the favourites heading into the 2026 season, but after just a few race weekends it became clear they were in serious trouble, not just in terms of outright performance but also reliability.
The root of Red Bull’s difficulties lies in the new 2026 power unit regulations, which split engine output equally between the internal combustion engine and electric motor. Red Bull, building their own power unit for the first time, are clearly behind the leading manufacturers. Looking at race data, high-speed corners remain the primary headache, with the biggest performance delta visible in the energy harvesting sections of circuits where Red Bull is operating at much lower speeds compared to Mercedes.
There are persistent reports in the paddock about exit clauses in Verstappen’s contract that could be triggered if Red Bull fails to meet certain performance benchmarks. The team has neither confirmed nor denied the specifics. Verstappen himself has not publicly agitated for a move. But the gap to the front is real, and it is not closing quickly.
Reports suggest that the F1 standings after Canada and the championship context are raising fresh questions about Verstappen’s Red Bull exit clause.
What makes this story genuinely complicated is that there are very few seats capable of giving Verstappen a title-contending car right now. Mercedes has Antonelli and Russell locked in. Ferrari has Hamilton and Leclerc. McLaren is committed to Norris and Piastri.
Verstappen’s future is the most consequential unanswered question in the sport right now. And the longer Red Bull stays off the pace, the louder the question gets.