From start to finish, Red Bull didn’t really look competitive, and they finished a race with their best car lapped twice for the first time since the 2007 Monaco Grand Prix.

Any hope of winning a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship in 2025 now feels gone for Verstappen, who trails Oscar Piastri by 61 points.

Attention may now turn to the 2026 F1 regulations, with far more to gain in the long term by developing a strong car for the new ruleset.

Helmut Marko performed a u-turn on Verstappen’s Red Bull future and doesn’t believe that he will be leaving the team any time soon.

After a few tough races recently, Verstappen’s camp have a scathing view on Red Bull’s 2026 prospects and believe that it could be a painful year for the team.

Helmut Marko thinks Max Verstappen could ruin Kimi Antonelli’s F1 career if he joins Mercedes

Toto Wolff confirmed Verstappen talks at Mercedes, but it’s believed the Dutchman’s early release clause can only be activated if he is lower than third place in the championship at the summer break.

Antonelli could copy Fernando Alonso if he loses his Mercedes seat, but there’s also a world in which he keeps it and current teammate George Russell moves on.

The Italian driver would be 19 years old, going up against a hungry four-time champion in his prime. It’s hard to see it ending too well for him.

And Red Bull advisor Marko agrees, suggesting that the current Silver Arrows star needs more time to develop before having a teammate of Verstappen’s stature.

“Anyone looks bad against Max. Verstappen would be too early for Antonelli in his second year,” he said, according to Auto Motor und Sport.

Verstappen could face a big problem at Mercedes because he has such a unique driving style. It may not suit their car, and is part of the reason why the second car at Red Bull has struggled so much recently.

Mercedes are ‘desperately’ targeting Max Verstappen for 2026

Mercedes are currently in a fairly unusual position, and are a top team with no drivers under contract for next year heading into the summer break.

With silly season in full swing, no one quite knows what will happen, especially with Red Bull starting to struggle a bit more recently.

Mercedes are ‘desperately’ targeting Verstappen because he would help to bring big commercial value to the team, as well as his skills on track.

That’s a void left by Lewis Hamilton’s departure last winter that the team aren’t entirely sure current driver George Russell can fill.

They face a massive decision over who to put in their car, and it all depends on how much faith they truly have in their current duo.