Max Verstappen left Silverstone as one of the most disappointed drivers of the 2025 British Grand Prix, finishing only fifth after starting from pole position. The reigning Formula 1 World Champion was visibly frustrated after a race dominated by unpredictable weather conditions and a Red Bull Racing car that struggled to perform under rain.
Despite securing a stunning pole position during Saturday’s qualifying session, it quickly became apparent that Max Verstappen would not be able to capitalise on it. The Red Bull RB21 had been set up with a low-downforce configuration—optimised for top speed rather than wet grip—which ultimately proved unsuitable for the changeable weather conditions experienced throughout the 52-lap race.
The intermittent rain disrupted the flow of the Grand Prix at several key moments, forcing drivers to constantly adapt to a changing grip level. Max Verstappen, piloting the car with number 1 on its nose, found himself battling just to stay on track. The setup choice left him with a car that was extremely difficult to handle, especially in the slippery sections of the circuit.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what to expect at the start, but from that point on, it became very difficult to find any balance between high-speed and low-speed corners,” said Verstappen after the race. “I never managed to get it right. On top of that, I think we suffered from much higher tyre degradation compared to the McLarens. They were simply on another level today.”
In the final laps of the race, Max Verstappen managed to snatch fifth place from Pierre Gasly with an aggressive overtake on the last lap—an unexpected result given the challenges he had faced all afternoon. It was a small consolation at the end of a race that had forced the Dutchman to go on the defensive right from the opening lap, dealing with major tyre wear, grip issues, and even a spin that made his day even more complicated.
“Obviously, I made a mistake which made things a bit harder,” Max Verstappen admitted. “But even before that, when I was running around tenth place or somewhere near there, I just didn’t have the pace. And that was concerning.”
Still, he acknowledged that Red Bull made the correct strategic decisions despite the circumstances. “We made the right calls, stayed calm, and stayed out on the intermediate tyres as long as possible. That was, once again, the right move,” he said. “In the end, we finished fifth, and looking back, that was probably the best we could have done with everything that happened.”
Verstappen then pointed to the biggest problem of the weekend: the choice to run the RB21 with a minimal rear wing setup, which proved ineffective under the fluctuating weather.
“When I spun, it happened because I tried to accelerate and the cold tyres let me down,” he explained. “But honestly, the car had been really hard to drive even before that moment.”
Still, Verstappen defended Red Bull’s pre-race gamble, stressing that the weather forecasts leading into Sunday had shown promising signs. “It wasn’t really a risk to try that setup because the weather forecast up until yesterday was improving. It was only overnight that things changed significantly. These things can happen.”
He concluded by acknowledging that Red Bull’s performance issues were largely rooted in the car’s configuration. “I definitely think the setup was the main issue,” said Verstappen. “The rear wing, in particular, made things much more difficult. But even if we’d run more downforce, I don’t think we would have been able to fight the McLarens. That’s for sure.”
“If it had been a fully dry race, maybe things could’ve been slightly better for us. But when you look at the McLarens’ pace today, I still think they would have been very hard to beat,” Verstappen added. “The updates we’ve brought are working, yes, but clearly they are not enough. We’re aware of that.”
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