Red Bull halt F1 development

Red Bull team principal Laurent Mekies has suggested there will be no further development of the 2025 F1 car.

Max Verstappen has suffered in the championship this year, with only two grand prix victories to his name and a temperamental RB21 to contend with.

The four-time world champion is currently languishing down in third in the drivers' standings with 187 points, but is not yet mathematically out of title contention.

Verstappen will be feeling refreshed after enjoying a lavish summer break, and will be hoping to come back with a bang this weekend in front of his home fans at Zandvoort.

However, it seems that no major upgrades are on the cards for Verstappen at the upcoming Dutch Grand Prix if Mekies' recent comments are anything to go by.

Speaking to media, Mekies said: "The season is still very long. Even if car development is going to heavily slow down, or is pretty much going to be minimal from now on, we still have a lot of things we can learn."

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Can Verstappen win again in 2025?

As things stand there are just nine points separating championship leader Oscar Piastri from team-mate Lando Norris in the drivers' standings.

McLaren have insisted that they will not be changing their approach to driver treatment from the Dutch GP onwards, with their monumental lead in the constructors' standings handing them the freedom to allow their drivers to race.

But we have seen this season already that mistakes are not uncommon at the papaya outfit, especially where Norris is concerned. Take the Canadian GP for example, a misjudged move from the Brit cost him his race and vital championship points.

George Russell went on to win that race in Montreal but any further slip-ups from either McLaren star could see Verstappen take a grand prix win, should his Red Bull be in a position to assist him. The 27-year-old sits 97 points behind Piastri and trails Norris by 88 points, so while a title charge is unlikely, it isn't impossible.

Of the drivers on the current grid, Verstappen holds the record for the most wins at his home circuit, with a victory in Zandvoort this weekend just what he needs to kickstart the second half of the campaign off on the right foot.

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