Red Bull F1 chiefs have 'given up' Max Verstappen fight

Max Verstappen's F1 future remains uncertain, but according to one star of the sport, Red Bull's chiefs have already given up their attempts to keep the Dutchman interested.

The four-time champion had entered the 2025 season with hopes of matching Michael Schumacher's record of earning five consecutive titles, but halfway through the year, his chances of doing so have reduced significantly.

After 12 rounds of the championship, a lot has changed for Verstappen and Red Bull, most recently with the immediate sacking of team principal Christian Horner.

The shock dismissal has seen former Racing Bulls boss Laurent Mekies take over the role, but it could be too little too late given the rumours of Verstappen's interest in a move to Mercedes.

Even before Horner's sacking, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed his interest and subsequent talks with Verstappen, with a move to the Silver Arrows no longer out of the question.

Are Red Bull heading for a bleak future?

Speaking prior to Horner's exit, ex-F1 driver and Sky Germany pundit Ralf Schumacher declared that Red Bull had likely given up attempting to stop the move to Mercedes for their star driver.

"At Red Bull, it's now reached the top that the World Championship issue for Verstappen is over," he said.

Schumacher continued, assessing the management issue within the Milton Keynes squad, saying: "I'm worried about two things: First, one gets the feeling that Dr. Helmut Marko has given up the fight for Verstappen. He understands that Verstappen is likely to leave.

"And then the even bigger problem is the way the team is set up. You now have a designer who doesn't have a handle on building the car. The question is: 'How will he manage it next year?'"

McLaren's success off the back of their constructors' victory in 2024 has carried over into this year, with both drivers currently ahead of Verstappen in the drivers' standings and the papaya outfit storming ahead in the team standings.

Red Bull dominated the championship for two seasons in 2022 and 2023, but since design legend Adrian Newey left their ranks for Aston Martin, their machinery has appeared significantly harder to pilot.

Verstappen and his carousel of team-mates have all stated that the RB21, primarily designed by Pierre Wache, is impossible to drive, suggesting that Newey's absence has started to really take its toll.

Verstappen is currently only P3 in the drivers' championship behind Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, with a gap of 69 points to the Aussie championship leader as things stand.

A decision on his future contract is expected to be announced around the time of the summer break, but if Red Bull's design team can no longer provide him with a car capable of fighting for the championship, Schumacher could be proved right that the Dutchman is already as good as gone.

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