By: The image of Max Verstappen making his dejected way back to the pits after crashing on the second lap of what may also have been his final home Grand Prix of his career rather sums up the current state of Red Bull: the champion’s surrender, and that of a team which has won so much over the past 15-16 years.
In the second half of the year, we will certainly see a Mercedes fighting to defend its status as the leading team and trying to win both titles, while Ferrari and McLaren will instead seek to get the better of one another, hoping at the same time to close the gap to the Silver Arrows as much as possible, both in terms of competitiveness and championship points.
Red Bull surrender, different objectives to their rivals
For Red Bull, however, the remainder of the season could be very different. Verstappen is not entirely satisfied with the performance and is sometimes forced to try to tame a highly unstable car. In the Netherlands, he made an error of judgement, but on other occasions he has found himself out of the race because of the unpredictable behaviour of his own car.
The fact that Max is far from his best is demonstrated by the fact that he has yet to win a race. Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren have won at least two Grands Prix, while Red Bull have so far been unable to do better than second place.
Too many new developments, even for a team like Red Bull
This is not to say that the four-time world champion will not win a Grand Prix this year. His moment will probably come, but as things stand it is difficult to predict that he will be able to pull it off and, in the short term, repeat the feat.
Red Bull’s 2026 is a transitional year. New regulations, its debut as an engine manufacturer... It will certainly be a far more demanding season for them than for the other three top teams.
Verstappen and the Milton Keynes outfit will find themselves doing different work to the others. Perhaps, knowing they no longer have any say in the matter, they may be able to take some time for themselves, focus more closely on solving certain problems and then return to the top in 2027. From this point of view, they can consider themselves somewhat ahead of Ferrari and McLaren: their eyes can turn away from the present and look exclusively to the future.
Cover photo: X, F1; in-article photo: X, F1
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