Max Verstappen’s 2025 Formula 1 title charge is going to fall short unless Red Bull can produce some magic in the second half of the season.
Simply put, the RB21 isn’t a fast enough machine to compete with McLaren currently, particularly without a fast teammate to back Verstappen up. Red Bull are too inconsistent across a variety of circuits and their car isn’t what it has been in years past.
It’s why their Dutch superstar is 49 points behind in the drivers’ championship after just nine races. Most worryingly, it’s also a sign that the team have lost a bit of direction and identity heading into the 2026 F1 regulations, one of the biggest changes of the modern era.
Verstappen has only just realised the title fight is over after enduring a tough time at the Spanish Grand Prix. The talk of the town may have been his incident with George Russell, but before then, his car wasn’t leading him to where he would have liked to be.
Within the Milton Keynes-based outfit, attention may already be turning elsewhere. Red Bull will ‘shift entirely’ to the 2026 F1 car as soon as they feel their driver no longer has a chance of achieving a record-breaking fifth consecutive title, which may not be far away.
READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher now tells Max Verstappen to ‘think about’ leaving Red Bull if one person stays at the F1 team
Red Bull desperate to bring a ‘new update’ to fix Max Verstappen’s biggest issue
Verstappen has developed a ‘strange habit’ at Red Bull this year by failing to back up his podiums with more trophies in the following races. It’s a sign that he’s struggling for consistency.
If the 27-year-old is not satisfied with his options for next year, there’s no guarantee that he will stick around. That doesn’t just mean at Red Bull, but in Formula 1 too, with Verstappen backed to ‘call it a day’ by a former colleague.
His biggest issue in race trim this year has been a failure to maintain his tyres as well as Lando Norris or Oscar Piastri, who seem to keep their Pirelli rubber in great shape with minimal effort.
Autoracer.it reports that Red Bull are eager to bring a ‘new update’ to address their tyre woes and help them sustain a strong pace for longer on a Sunday.
If they can rush through some parts to help Verstappen, there will be a far greater chance of him winning this year and remaining on the grid into the new regulations.
READ MORE: Red Bull now ‘fear’ one Max Verstappen outcome that will be ‘terrible’ for the F1 team’s image
What has Max Verstappen said about Red Bull’s 2025 F1 car recently?
Verstappen doesn’t ‘trust’ Red Bull’s technical department anymore after nearly one year of failed development on their car.
He doesn’t believe that their current machine is up to scratch, telling RacingNews365 that the onus is on themselves to get back into a strong position.
“If we have a good car, you will be fast and then it doesn’t matter what the other teams do in terms of strategy because you will beat them,” he said. “We have to make sure that we put ourselves back in that position.”
With just under two months before the summer break, Red Bull don’t have much time left to claw back the deficit they currently face. After August, you get the impression that it may be all over.
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