Red Bull Hakt Verstappen World Cup off
“This is a very black day”
29.06.2025 – 11:08 p.m.Reading time: 2 min.
The reigning world champion experiences a debacle in Austria. After the race, Red Bull is spoken of plain text – with hard words.
The Grand Prix of Austria for Max Verstappen lasted just under 30 seconds, then the race for the four-time Formula 1 world champion was over again. A braking by Mercedes-Pilot Kimi Antonelli caused the early end for the Red Bull pilot (you can read more about this here). A bitter setback for the Dutch in the fight for the World Cup title, it would be his fifth in a row. Because of the simultaneous victory of Lando Norris and second place from his McLaren teammate Oscar Piatri, the duo leading in the driver’s ranking further pulled away. Verstappen (155) already lack 61 points for Piatri (216 points), to Norris 46.
Now Red Bull has reacted with clear words to the outcome of the race in Spielberg. And illustrates: You no longer believe in the new title gain before the season half. “This is a very black day,” said Red Bull’s motorsport consultant Helmut Marko after the deeply disappointing home game in Spielberg at Sky: “The deficit to McLaren is almost no longer catchy.” And further: “If something very unusual happens, we have to assume that the World Cup is gone.”
The world champion himself summarized much easier. “We don’t fight for the championship anyway,” said Verstappen narrowly. In Austria, after weak qualifying, he had only started from seventh place anyway. “I think we would have fought for the podium,” said Marko: “Mercedes was not quick, Ferrari wasn’t overwhelming either. But that’s how it is: If you don’t start at the front, you always risk that someone is nonsense at the back.”
However, Marko did not want to lose too many words about a possible farewell, which is probably lured by Mercedes. “There is a contract until 2028,” he said, “he has exit clauses that are performance -related. However, there is no doubt that it is fulfilled.”