Max Verstappen has won two races during the 2025 Formula 1 season and still trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 49 points.
The Spanish Grand Prix marked the Dutchman’s worst classification in a race since the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix, where he suffered a mechanical issue with three laps to go.
Red Bull have not developed the RB21 well enough over the winter, and it has left them far behind McLaren, who have a clear advantage at most circuits.
It means that Verstappen is on the back foot no matter what he does and is fighting a losing battle against Piastri and Lando Norris.
Verstappen’s camp are surprised by a ‘strange’ statement after Red Bull chief Pierre Wache admitted that the senior team could learn a thing or two from the way Racing Bulls have designed their car.
Red Bull staff believe Verstappen has set a retirement date and could leave the sport after the start of the 2026 F1 regulations. His team need to find a way of giving him a front-running car consistently.
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Red Bull have discovered Max Verstappen’s formula to beat McLaren in 2025
Red Bull have discovered a ‘disadvantage’ of Verstappen over the last few seasons, realising that his exceptional skill sometimes hides some of the negative traits his car may have.
After a few weekends of struggles in Monaco and Spain, it has left Red Bull desperate to bring a ‘new update’ to fix some woes with their tyre wear.
Verstappen only ‘realised’ after the Spanish Grand Prix that competing for a special fifth consecutive crown may not be possible this season.
Now, according to Auto Motor und Sport, Red Bull have found a formula to win that ‘always happens’ for Verstappen against McLaren, but there’s one problem with it.
They require certain conditions to come out on top. High-speed circuits with smooth asphalt and low tyre wear are preferable for them to reach the top step of the podium.
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Does Max Verstappen still have a chance of winning the 2025 F1 championship?
Verstappen has developed a ‘strange’ habit in 2025 and it’s one that he hasn’t had before. He’s struggling to back good results up with equally good finishes.
He has always been quite good at stringing a run of form together, but he’s yet to win back-to-back races or even score back-to-back podiums.
At the current rate, he has no chance of becoming just the second driver in Formula 1 history to win five titles in a row after Michael Schumacher.
It’s even less likely to happen as Red Bull ‘fear’ one Verstappen outcome between now and the end of the season. He could get a one-race ban for penalty points. It would likely be the final straw.
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