Max Verstappen, once again. With Red Bull, it’s now four driver titles in F1. Las Vegas served as an excellent testing ground to evaluate who can and should be part of this major project and who, on the other hand, could easily relinquish their seat to someone else. Throughout this championship, Sergio Perez has not been particularly impressive; in fact, he has certainly not been helpful to his teammate. Several incidents and entirely avoidable mistakes have been the primary cause of the likely rift between the Austrian team and their driver. His “clumsiness” (said with a hint of humor, of course) hasn’t just harmed him but has also impacted the entire team.
Red Bull’s available budget cap has significantly diminished, largely “donated” to repair damages caused by Checo. As a result, the team has faced significant technical problems, which Max surely could not have been happy about. He, sweating through every suit and fighting for every inch of the track, saw his efforts “almost” nullified due to his teammate, who, if not brilliant last year, at least defended his position reasonably well. The tenth place snatched from Fernando Alonso on practically the last lap in Las Vegas stands as proof.
Perez has been unable to adequately support the team by securing crucial points that could heavily influence the constructors’ standings. One thing is certain: the Mexican has been walking a tightrope for quite some time, and his fate will be decided soon. Speaking to journalists, Helmut Marko—who, as we know, never minces words—explained that a meeting with the team’s stakeholders after Qatar will determine the fate of the Guadalajara-born driver. Ultimately, if I may add a personal observation, it’s also about the prestige of the F1 team.
The weight a seat carries depends on the driver occupying it. Beyond the fear of losing more championships while dragging along a “dead weight” and seeing a talent like Max Verstappen walk away, there’s also the risk of losing the trust of sponsors and key figures. Trust, after all, is like a wave: success lasts as long as you can ride its crest; after that, you need to reinvent yourself. Red Bull must start doing this next year. Then, with the arrival of the new 2026 regulations, many things will change, and some teams could rise at the expense of others.
F1, Red Bull addicted to Max Verstappen, needs a wake-up call starting with the second driver
Will Red Bull still be among the favorites? That’s the question likely preoccupying Christian Horner’s mind for quite some time. To retain a phenomenon like Verstappen, fresh off his fourth world title, solid foundations are needed, followed closely by guarantees—currently elusive in F1. Super Max is certainly a driver not to waste. He undoubtedly didn’t have the best car this year, but his immense talent, his ability to optimize results, and his understanding of the car made all the difference.
This is without even considering McLaren’s numerous errors, often failing to fully exploit their potential. We can also talk about the “classic botched starts” by Lando Norris and so on. Max Verstappen still managed to fiercely defend the world title—perhaps the sweetest of them all, as he told journalists—and with a subtly defiant smile, he responded to questions from Zak Brown, the Woking team boss who had previously provoked him. Max Verstappen, like many others over the past two F1 seasons, has faced attempts to downplay his achievements behind the wheel of a Red Bull.
With two F1 races remaining this season, including Sprint Races, Max Verstappen will race more freely, unburdened by the need to defend a title already secured. And we can expect fireworks because the native of Hasselt certainly won’t sit idly by. That’s not his style. He’ll want to win again and take advantage of those still fighting for something—the constructors’ title that Red Bull now views from a distance. It’s a title they could have won this year too, with a decent second driver—in other words, any of the other 18 drivers on the grid besides Perez.
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