The Dutchman has said the 2024 season has been one of his most challenging at the wheel of a Red Bull, having needed to defend his title in the third-quickest car.
It is the first time since 1983 that a driver has won the title with the third-quickest car on the grid, when Nelson Piquet achieved a similar feat with Brabham.
Damon Hill thinks Verstappen winning in the third fastest car sums him up, having extracted the most from the Red Bull RB20 throughout the season even when rivals caught up to them and were fastest during weekends.
Now that Red Bull appears to no longer have their massive advantage, journalist Andrew Benson has highlighted one stipulation in Verstappen’s contract that could see him exit Red Bull early.
Even though Red Bull started off the season in business-as-usual fashion by winning four of the first five races with the RB20, there was a lot of background noise in the scandal involving team principal Christian Horner and falling out with Jos Verstappen.
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff has been clear that he has a good relationship with Verstappen, and would welcome the Dutchman in his team if he wants to join in the future.
“Verstappen’s future beyond the end of 2025 remains very much open,” wrote Benson.
“He has a contract with Red Bull until the end of 2028, but there are ways he can get out of it if he wants. He has a number of options.”
Verstappen moving to Mercedes would be a sensational move, especially after all his success at Red Bull.
Although the recent spat between Russell and Verstappen may have put any potential move to Red Bull on hold for the future.
Verstappen will be heading into the 2025 season looking to win his fifth title in a row, which would cap off half a decade of dominance.
Red Bull did not have the quickest car midway through the season, particularly after McLaren made massive improvements and Ferrari also caught up.
The Milton Keynes squad traced a lot of its mid-season troubles back to upgrades made last year, and their pace in Brazil and Qatar showed they still have a car that can produce race-winning results.
If the 2025 car is an evolution of the RB20, Verstappen will be hoping that they make strides forward to hold off what will likely be a closely fought battle with McLaren and Ferrari.
