Future of Max Verstappen in Doubt as Red Bull Struggles

The future of Red Bull Racing’s Formula 1 driver, Max Verstappen, has been cast into uncertainty following comments made by the team’s senior advisor, Helmut Marko. In an interview with Sky Germany, Marko expressed concern over the team’s ability to retain Verstappen after technical issues and subpar on-track performance resulted in a sixth-place finish for Verstappen at the 2025 Bahrain Grand Prix.

Improvements Needed for Verstappen to Contend for World Championship

Marko emphasized that improvements must be made promptly to provide Verstappen with a car capable of winning again. He stressed the importance of creating a solid foundation with a competitive car to enable Verstappen’s title fight.

As of four grands prix into the season, Verstappen ranks third in the driver standings with 69 points. McLaren‘s Oscar Piastri is second with 74 points, while teammate Lando Norris leads the pack with 77 points. To date, Verstappen has won only one race this season, in Japan, compared to the three victories amassed by Piastri and Norris. The duo has benefited from a car that performs consistently well on most tracks, while the Red Bull RB21 has appeared less reliable and more challenging for its drivers.

This performance gap has raised questions about Verstappen’s future with Red Bull, despite holding a contract to race for the team until the end of the 2028 season. The details of Verstappen’s contract remain undisclosed, but it is believed to contain performance-based clauses that could allow him to leave the Milton Keynes side prematurely if certain conditions aren’t met.

To meet these performance requirements, Red Bull must deliver a winning car to Verstappen. This year’s Red Bull has fallen short of the dominant machine it was in 2022 and 2023, leading the team to initiate “crisis talks” following the issues encountered during the Bahrain Grand Prix weekend, including faulty pit equipment that hampered Verstappen and teammate Yuki Tsunoda.

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner previously told Motorsport.com that the team is aware of the problems at hand but cautioned that implementing solutions would require time. With the final race in this year’s F1 calendar approaching this weekend, Red Bull is running out of time if it hopes to challenge McLaren soon.