Max Verstappen confirms Red Bull contract clause which bans risky activities
Max Verstappen has confirmed that his contract with Red Bull stipulates that he must not take part in any activities which might risk an injury.
So any hope that the Formula 1 champion might have to go skiing during the winter offseason is immediately off the cards.
Similarly to most elite footballers’ contracts, Verstappen is restricted by a clause in his Red Bull deal.
“Me too. No dangerous sports,” he told Formule1.nl.
“I haven’t skied in five years because of the risk of breaking or twisting something with all the consequences that entails.
“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.
“If you think about that, you automatically take fewer risks.
“Cycling is also dangerous. When I go cycling, I at least put on a helmet.”
His father Jos Verstappen took to rally driving when his own F1 career ended.
Max said: “But rallying, at 180 kilometres per hour through the trees, I don’t see myself doing that.
“But in a remote place, maybe it is. In any case, I am aware of risks.”
Verstappen is tied to a huge-money contract with Red Bull which expires at the end of 2028.
He pocketed an estimated $70m last year.
But, as part of that deal, Verstappen cannot take part in certain events.
His wish to drive at the Red Bull Formula Nurburgring last year, for example, was shut down by his employers.
Alex Marquez’s verdict on sharing data among eight Ducati MotoGP riders
The eight Ducatis on the 2024 MotoGP grid will be double the quantity of the Aprilias, KTMs and Hondas.
Although Ducati must face the brunt of new concessions rules this year, their policy to share data among eight riders (which will now include Marc Marquez) can lead to an edge in performance.
“Sharing data is an advantage and disadvantage at the same time,” Alex Marquez said to AS.
“You can have a lot of information and references, but you can get confused.
“You become obsessed with comparing one person to another.
“My experience is to always use the same two as references. Pecco Bagnaia and Jorge Martin are the ones I paid most attention to last year.
“They are different riding styles and you have to understand it.”
With Gresini, the Marquez brothers will be equipped with year-old Ducatis (so the same bike which Bagnaia and Martin battled over the title with last season).
They first jumped on a ‘23 Desmosedici at the postseason Valencia test, while the factory and Pramac riders tried the latest-spec bike.
“The character of the engine is different, above all,” was Alex Marquez’s feedback.
“I noticed a little more power, and also the aerodynamics, which made the bike a little more agile, especially with the wind that it had in the test.
But it wasn’t that big a step either.
“We already saw it during the season that several bikes from 2022 won races, so let’s hope that there is not a big jump in 2024 either so that we can continue fighting for races.”
Alex outlined his season target: “Win races? Why not?
“Winning races or being on the podium is the goal.
“Last year there were better or worse moments, but we always pushed.
“And this year if we continue working and being consistent we can achieve it.
“In Malaysia it narrowly escaped, because Bastianini was very fast that weekend, but in a second year with the same bike it will be easier.”
He will share the box with brother Marc for the first time since the opening months of 2020, a period cut short by the eight-time world champion’s injury.
“Removing what happened in 2020, it is a second chance, but above all arriving in a very different situation,” Alex said.
“At that time I was a rookie and Marc was fighting for the championship, so we were in very different situations.
“This year I can take more advantage of having a rider like Marc, who is fast and I already have experience in the category.
“Unity is strength and my experience in both Moto3 and Moto2 is that when I have had a strong partner I have had my best years.
“When a team has two strong riders sharing information, without going overboard because you can get mixed up, it can help.
“So, in my case, and for the team, having a rider like Marc can be very beneficial.
“It’s my second year on this team and we have to continue the evolution.
“Get off to a good start, which makes it more enjoyable.
“I am looking forward to preseason and testing in Malaysia. We finished the year very well and we have to start it well, but there are no expectations now. It is too early. Low profile. To improve consistency and to be more solid…”