Max Verstappen took a phenomenal sprint race victory at Spa, and it could have decided his future.
The four-time world champion snatched the lead of the race on lap one despite Oscar Piastri’s record-breaking pole lap in qualifying. He then held off the championship leader despite constant pressure throughout.
Verstappen’s Red Bull future has been questioned in recent months as he eyes a move to Mercedes, but this win might have sealed his fate.
Max Verstappen’s sprint race win means his release clause cannot be triggered
It was widely reported that Verstappen’s Red Bull contract has a release clause that would trigger if he is below third in the standings by the end of July. That would then allow him to move to Mercedes without a buyout.
Verstappen earned eight points for his sprint race win at the Belgian Grand Prix. That puts him 28 points ahead of George Russell, who is fourth in the standings and finished outside the points in the sprint.
With Spa being the last race of July, that means that Verstappen’s clause cannot be triggered since the maximum number of points Russell can gain on Verstappen in the Grand Prix is 25.
Mercedes can now only sign Verstappen by buying out his contract. He has a reported base salary of $65 million, and he is contracted until 2028, so if Mercedes were to sign the Dutchman they would have to fork out an incredible sum.
Verstappen looked to replace Russell at Mercedes, so the news may come as a consolation to him after a poor showing in the sprint.
Red Bull’s Laurent Mekies era off to a perfect start
This was Red Bull’s first race with new team principal Laurent Mekies, after Christian Horner was fired. It got off to a perfect start. Red Bull set Verstappen’s car up for high speed, sacrificing pace in the middle sector to gain time down the long straights in the first and third sectors.
The plan worked to perfection, as Verstappen sped past Piastri down the long Kemmell straight on lap one. He was then able to hold off Piastri in the much faster McLaren, despite the Aussie driving within a second behind him throughout.
Verstappen simply had the straight-line speed to hold off the McLaren, even with the DRS deficit.
Now it gets interesting. The teams can change how their cars are set up ahead of Grand Prix qualifying. Will McLaren change their pole-sitting car? Plus, the threat of rain means a higher-downforce setup could be optimal, so will Red Bull gamble with a change?
All of these questions shall be answered soon.