Red Bull fires its last shots
“We have something in the works, but reopening the championship is a very, very, very distant and difficult prospect,” said Max Verstappen at the press conference after the Canadian Grand Prix, where he finished second behind George Russell. The Dutch driver is currently 43 points behind Oscar Piastri, and Red Bull has not matched McLaren’s pace—at least not in Spain.
Helmut Marko has provided more detail about Red Bull’s development strategy, especially as the 2026 deadlines become impossible to postpone. “We have updates coming in Austria that we will refine at Silverstone,” the Austrian advisor told Kleine Zeitung. “We can continue to develop until Spa at the latest. After that, we will have no choice but to fully focus on 2026, due to production lead times and the cost cap.”
Arvid Lindblad has been identified as Red Bull’s replacement for Max Verstappen in case of a suspension—possibly in place of Isack Hadjar, with the latter stepping up to Red Bull in the event of Max Verstappen’s absence. Marko believes the Formula 2 driver is ready for the challenge: “On Monday in Italy, he spent half a day in the car to prepare. He’ll also be in the car during Friday free practice at Silverstone. He stands out for his mental strength and confidence—his Swedish-Indian mix seems very positive for motorsport. We’re preparing in case something does happen with Max Verstappen and his penalty points. At the moment, we have two reserve drivers: Lindblad and Ayumu Iwasa, but Iwasa’s F1 commitments clash with his schedule in Japan.”
Leave a Reply