After the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, Max Verstappen finds himself 69 points behind the Championship leader, Oscar Piastri. While many think that Verstappen cannot defend his title this year, Red Bull’s Senior Advisor, Helmut Marko, thinks otherwise.
Since the 2021 season, Verstappen has dominated the F1 grid. However, this year, Red Bull has not been able to produce a car capable of fighting for the Championship. While we have seen the Dutch driver get on the podium’s top step, he has not been able to do it consistently this year. But there is still hope for the Austrian team in the coming races.
Helmut Marko is not ruling out the Championship for this year
Writing under his column for Speedweek, Helmut Marko spoke about the poor result in Silverstone, where he also mentioned Verstappen’s Championship chances for the season.
“So ultimately, 5th place went to Max at Silverstone, just a week before the early retirement in Austria due to being hit by Antonelli. This doesn’t make it any easier for Verstappen to defend his title, but we’re far from writing off the title.”
The Formula 1 2025 season is now at the HALFWAY POINT!!
Only twelve races remain and the gap between the McLaren drivers is only EIGHT points!!!
Verstappen v Russell continues, The Ferrari duo are secure in P5 and P6 and a new entry into the top 10… NICOOO HULLKENNBEEERGG!! pic.twitter.com/cgLV3iq0ou
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) July 7, 2025
“We still have 12 Grands Prix and four sprints ahead of us, which equates to 300 World Championship points from the GPs and 32 from the sprint races. Against this backdrop, and also due to further improvements for Belgium, which should bring us closer to McLaren, we certainly don’t see the fight for the World Championship as over.”
There are still 12 more races left on the calendar. So there is no doubt that Verstappen has more than enough time to catch up to the McLaren drivers. However, the only question is whether Red Bull can provide the car for the second half of the season.
Red Bull expecting strong upgrades for Belgian GP
Heading to Belgium for the next race, Red Bull is expected to bring some upgrades to help with the car’s performance. The team hopes these updates will give Verstappen the boost he needs to start fighting more consistently at the top.
While this could help Verstappen, it is unlikely that Red Bull would be able to fight for the Constructors’ title. Red Bull has scored only 172 points, whereas McLaren is leading the standings with 460 points. It is next to impossible for Red Bull to make up this deficit in the next 12 races. So, right now, the team is better off focusing on helping Verstappen defend his title.
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If Red Bull cannot produce a championship-winning car, there is a high chance that they could risk losing Verstappen next year. Although the Dutch driver has a contract with the Austrian team until the end of the 2028 season, there have been a lot of rumours linking him to Mercedes.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out in the coming weeks. Do you think Red Bull will be able to give Verstappen the car he needs to defend his Championship? Put down your thoughts in the comments section below.
