Red Bull now ‘fear’ one Max Verstappen outcome that will be ‘terrible’ for the F1 team’s image

Max Verstappen hurt his own hopes of becoming a five-time Formula 1 champion in 2025 by receiving a penalty for driving into George Russell in the Spanish Grand Prix.

The Red Bull star has a chance to match only Michael Schumacher by winning the F1 drivers’ championship in five successive seasons this term. Yet Verstappen left 11 points on the table at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on Sunday, which let Oscar Piastri build his lead to 49.

Verstappen also now trails Piastri’s McLaren teammate Lando Norris by 39 points, having sat only 22 and nine points shy two rounds earlier when the Dutchman won the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He was even just 25 and 22 points shy after sealing P4 in the Monaco Grand Prix.

But Piastri now boasts nearly two Grand Prix wins in hand over the 27-year-old after the first nine rounds, following Verstappen’s 10-second penalty for driving into Russell in the Spanish GP. His penalty demoted the Red Bull racer from at worst P4 in Montmelo to just 10th place.

Red Bull ‘fear’ Max Verstappen getting a race ban for the 2025 F1 Austrian Grand Prix

The four-time reigning champion’s emotions got the better of him when Red Bull incorrectly told Verstappen to yield P4 to Russell in Spain. But possibly worse than the points he threw away were the three penalty points that the FIA’s race stewards also awarded for the crash.

READ MORE: How many penalty points every 2025 F1 driver has, including Max Verstappen

Verstappen is now just one penalty point from an automatic one-race ban, with the Red Bull racer on 11/12 allowed in a rolling 12-month period. So, he must avoid an incident across the Canadian Grand Prix weekend (June 13-15) and also the Austrian Grand Prix (June 27-29).

The Dutchman will lose two of his 11 penalty points on June 30. But Motorsport.com claims Red Bull ‘fear’ Verstappen getting another penalty at the Canadian GP which would rule him out of the Austrian GP, as missing the team’s home race would be ‘terrible’ for their image.

Thousands of Dutch fans flock to the Red Bull Ring to support Verstappen, and Red Bull feel it can harm their image if their lead driver were absent. It would also harm their position in the constructors’ championship with Red Bull now just fourth and 218 points from McLaren.

So, ‘everyone’ at Red Bull hopes their ‘fear’ that Verstappen might miss the Austrian GP due to a race ban remains just that and never a reality. Yet their fear of a race ban will persist, as Verstappen will not lose any more of his penalty points after June 30 until October 27 (two).

How many penalty points does Max Verstappen have after his Spanish GP crash with George Russell?

While Motorsport.com reports that Red Bull ‘fear’ Verstappen receiving a race ban for their home race, the Austrian GP, with a penalty at the Canadian GP, the team will also dread the Dutchman getting a penalty in Spielberg which would rule him out of the British Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Most successful drivers at the Austrian GP of all time and at the Red Bull Ring

Silverstone is also a home event for Red Bull, whose factory is in Milton Keynes, and will be a great chance for Verstappen to take points out of Piastri and Norris. Their RB21 will suit the high-speed layout of the British GP venue potentially even more so than McLaren’s MCL39.

Fears might also persist in Milton Keynes even if Verstappen gets through the Canadian and Austrian Grand Prix events without a penalty. He will not drop any more penalty points until after the 2025 Mexico City Grand Prix, which leaves nine rounds after the Red Bull Ring race.

Verstappen will start to lose most of the 11 penalty points the Red Bull driver now has after crashing into Russell in Spain across the tail end of the 2025 season. He will lose two points on October 27 and then one on November 2, one on December 1 and two on December 8.