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Max Verstappen admitted he is banned from “dangerous” activities thanks to a clause in his Red Bull contract.
The Dutchman has the longest and the most lucrative deal of anyone on the grid. He is tied down with Red Bull until the end of the 2028 season and is compensated with a reported £40m-per-year salary – and that’s before bonuses.
He has been triggering a lot of those extra payments over the last couple of years. The 2023 season was his best to date as he dominated from start to finish, winning 19 of 22 races to pull off the most convincing title success Formula 1 has ever seen.
Given how valuable Verstappen is to them, Red Bull understandably want to ensure he is fit to race at all times. So, as is common for many F1 drivers, he must abide by a clause written into the mega-money contract that forces him to avoid activities that are deemed to be too risky to his health.
He confirmed as much as he spoke to Dutch magazine Formule1. The three-time world champion specified the clause meant “no dangerous sport” for him, such as skiing. He said: “I haven’t skied for five years because of the risk of breaking or twisting something with all its consequences.
“And, of course, also in the knowledge that there are still years to come in which I have a great chance to become champion again and win races. When you think about that, you automatically do take a little less risk.
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Verstappen has already spoken publicly about one occasion upon which that clause was enforced. He had wanted to take part in a Red Bull event at the Nurburgring last September, which saw Sebastian Vettel take to the track in one of his old title-winning machines
However, long-serving Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko blocked that from happening after Verstappen raised the idea. The Dutchman told reporters: “I wanted to do it, but I was not allowed by Helmut. He knew that I would try and go to the limits. I would have loved to do it.
“I didn’t want to start unnecessary issues. I heard this thing was coming up, and Helmut was sitting at the table when it came up, and he said, ‘No, no, no, you’re not doing that!'”
Many other drivers have similar clauses in their contracts with teams keen to prevent one of their racing stars from picking up serious injuries that could affect or end their careers. Lando Norris is one star who seems to be allowed to ski, though, given he posted a video on his social media channels last week which showed him hitting the slopes during his winter holiday
