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Red Bull star Max Verstappen has been dominating the F1 championship since the new ground effect cars were introduced in 2022. However, McLaren came into the 2025 season with a car far superior to Red Bull's. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently came out and admitted that the Dutchman is slowly giving up on the 2025 F1 title.
McLaren caught up with Red Bull’s pace during the 2024 season after the first major update was brought at the Miami GP. However, Verstappen's competitive edge of overdriving the car guaranteed the Dutchman the title despite McLaren having a marginally faster car.
Coming into the 2025 season, McLaren further developed the car and came into the season with the fastest car. Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris won the opening couple of rounds. However, Max Verstappen managed to win the Japanese GP.
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The McLaren driver won the next three races, followed by a win for the Red Bull driver at Imola. In the last couple of races in Monaco and Barcelona, Verstappen has failed to finish on the podium as McLaren seems to be running away with the Drivers and Constructors' titles.
Helmut Marko, in conversation with OE24, was asked whether Max Verstappen is slowly giving up on the 2025 F1 title amid McLaren's speedy pace. Marko replied:
“That's how it is. I try to straighten it up: We don't give up, but something has to be done with the car.”
Marko was asked if Verstappen can apply his over-performing the car factory if Red Bull gets closer to McLaren's pace, to which he replied:
“But not against such a strong opponent. The McLarens are strong on every track. But you're right: the car has to be competitive, then Max gets the rest.”
Helmut Marko also claimed during the interview that the McLarens are about three-tenths faster than the Red Bull despite the recent updates brought by the Milton Keynes-based team.
Max Verstappen's title challenge is hindered as Red Bull doesn't have any “major update” in the pipeline
Red Bull rolled out a big update for the RB21 over the Saudi Arabian, Miami and Imola GPs. With the new 2026 F1 regulations on the horizon, Red Bull will soon be shifting focus to next year's car. Helmut Marko was questioned if the team has any major upgrades in the pipeline. The Red Bull advisor denied, as he said (via Speedweek):
“We're working tirelessly on this and will continue to make small adjustments, but nothing major is planned. We've had some major updates in the past, such as a new underbody and new sidepods. But now it's more about the details. We'll continue developing as long as there's a chance in the World Championship. After that, the focus will shift entirely to the 2026 project.”
Max Verstappen is currently P3 in the F1 standings behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris. It is unlikely for the Red Bull driver to recover ground from the McLaren drivers. The Dutchman is currently 49 points behind the championship leader Piastri.
