Max Verstappen may no longer be able to win the 2026 Formula 1 title, but Red Bull’s recent resurgence could make the four-time world champion an important factor in the championship battle between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. Five podiums in the last six Grands Prix have put Max Verstappen back near the front, with only a victory still missing from his late-season recovery.
After an extremely difficult first half of the season, during which Max Verstappen seriously considered the possibility of leaving Formula 1 altogether, the Dutch driver appears to have turned his year around. For a four-time world champion, fighting for partial objectives and celebrating podiums as major achievements is inevitably frustrating, but the trend surrounding both Max Verstappen and Red Bull has improved considerably in recent weeks.
Max Verstappen takes five podiums from six races
Max Verstappen has finished on the podium five times in the last six Grands Prix without managing to win. Since Montreal, the Dutch driver has recorded seven top-three finishes in 11 races, with only Andrea Kimi Antonelli achieving more over the same period.
In Azerbaijan, Max Verstappen came closer than ever to claiming his first victory of the season, remaining directly behind George Russell all the way to the chequered flag.
Red Bull’s renewed competitiveness was also underlined by Isack Hadjar’s third-place finish, which gave the team its first double podium in more than two years.
Red Bull revival could affect Mercedes title battle
With eight Grands Prix still to run, Max Verstappen has little to lose. He will be determined to win at least once before the end of the campaign and avoid making 2026 his first winless season since becoming a Red Bull driver.
That ambition, combined with his relative lack of concern about how the championship standings develop, could make Max Verstappen an important variable in the fight between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell.
Max Verstappen is a close friend of Andrea Kimi Antonelli, while his relationship with George Russell has been considerably more difficult. But the more significant issue is not their personal relationships — it is the finishing order.
For George Russell to have even a small chance of properly reopening the championship battle, he needs more than simply to finish ahead of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. On some weekends, he also needs other cars to finish between himself and his Mercedes team-mate.
Max Verstappen could therefore prove useful to George Russell by taking points away from Andrea Kimi Antonelli. On a different weekend, however, exactly the opposite could happen.
Why Verstappen could help either Antonelli or Russell
Every race that George Russell fails to win effectively becomes a bonus for Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian would be able to secure the world championship by finishing directly behind his team-mate in every remaining race of the season.
That means Max Verstappen’s results could help or hurt either Mercedes title contender from one Sunday to the next. It is a dynamic that, in some respects, recalls what happened ten years ago during the 2016 championship.
Nico Rosberg remembers Verstappen’s role in 2016
Speaking in an interview with Sky Sports F1, 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg recalled how stressful his battles with Max Verstappen became during the final races of his title fight.
“My God… having him on track during those races,” Nico Rosberg said. “The risk of a retirement for me increased tenfold with him. During my title run I had him on my tail in all four of the final races. He overtook me, I think, in three of those four races, always in close battles.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell therefore have another competitive factor to consider. A Max Verstappen with nothing to lose, hungry for victory and driving a competitive Red Bull could become an even more significant variable than McLaren or Ferrari during the championship run-in.
Max Verstappen may no longer be able to become world champion himself, but his finishing positions could still have a major influence on which Mercedes driver ultimately takes the crown as the championship moves through the remaining rounds of the 2026 Formula 1 calendar.
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