Marko gives a surprising revelation about Verstappen's contract with Red Bull

The Dutchman's future is a hot topic in Formula 1, with many rumours surrounding the 27-year-old and the Austrian team he has been a part of since the 2016 season. Mercedes are the heavily linked team to the four-time champion if he does make the move away from Red bull.

There's an exit clause in Verstappen's contract, but Marko explained that it has nothing to do with the current state of affairs in the World Championship.

Verstappen's deficit to the championship leader, Oscar Piastri, currently stands at 22 points after taking a fine win at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, with the gap to second place, which is occupied by Lando Norris, just nine points. If Verstappen were to become world champion again, it would be his fifth consecutive world title.

Marko was asked by Oe24 after the Grand Prix at the iconic Imola circuit whether the exit clause in Verstappen's contract could currently be affected by the world champion standings come the end of the season.

“It's not linked to the World Championship,” replied the 81-year-old Austrian in a surprise revelation.

Marko was also asked if such victories help Verstappen to make a decision to continue racing with Red Bull, but Marko refused to elaborate any further on that matter: “First, we'll see if we can win the championship... and then we'll see further.”

Whether Verstappen can become world champion this year remains to be seen, with a fifth consecutive title tying the record of Michael Schumacher. When asked if the Dutchman has a championship-winning car, Marko responded cautiously: “That was only Imola. The next Grand Prix could be very different,” concluded the Austrian advisor.