The reports claimed that as long as the quadruple world champion doesn't drop from P3 to P5 in the drivers' championship by the end of June, he cannot escape the deal for 2026.
The timing of the reports are interesting, given that the well-connected Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf insists that Mercedes' Toto Wolff is still flirting with Max Verstappen.
Red Bull advisor Marko slammed the reports about the end-of-June deadline.
The report is nonsense because it's wrong, he told Auto Bild.
However, he refused to clarify. There is a clause, said the 82-year-old Austrian, but it's contractual and therefore confidential.