Max Verstappen enjoyed a bit of a mixed weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix after winning the sprint race before struggling in Sunday’s race.
The fascinating wet-to-dry affair saw the reigning champion stuck behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for the majority of the 44 laps around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Red Bull’s car setup was far from ideal.
They had gambled on a completely wet race, which, following a delay and complaint from Verstappen, did not happen for them.
His hopes of a fifth consecutive drivers’ championship appear to have completely faded. Attention is starting to turn to the 2026 F1 regulations.
On a positive note, Verstappen joining Mercedes looks ‘out of the question’ after a recent hierarchy adjustment at Red Bull.
Zak Brown thinks ‘it’s a shame’ that Christian Horner was replaced, but it could end up being the catalyst to turn around a very downward trend over the last 18 months.
Photo by Ryan Pierse/Getty ImagesHelmut Marko says Max Verstappen and Red Bull faced engine ‘issues’ at the Belgian Grand Prix
Mekies ‘excels’ in one area Verstappen has complained about, and should be able to help translate his drivers’ feedback into improvements on the car.
The RB21 has been plagued by the same balance issue which hurt its predecessors. It has such a narrow operating window that few drivers can extract any pace from it.
Verstappen has now reached an agreement which could see him leave the team at the end of 2026, but how they start the new regulations will play a big role in that.
Behind the scenes, he might have been battling one problem that not many people took notice of at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko admitted to SPEEDWEEK that the team were battling engine ‘issues’ during the race.
“We had the wrong setup and lost, especially in the first sector. We expected rain, and in the end, it was a dry race,” he said. “We also had a few issues with the engine and weren’t quick enough overall.”
READ MORE: Martin Brundle claims Spa paddock ‘conversation’ revealed where Max Verstappen will drive in 2026
How Max Verstappen is on his worst run of Red Bull form since 2019
Although Verstappen’s silver lining for the weekend was winning the sprint on Sunday, his pace in Grands Prix has not been good enough recently.
In fact, he has just one podium in his last six races. You have to go back to the 2019 season – Red Bull’s first with Honda, to find a run of form that poor.
It tells you everything you need to know about why Horner may have been dropped after the British Grand Prix.
He was replaced by Mekies, who, with 25 years of engineering experience at the highest level, should be able to drive improvement ahead of the new rules.
As the team gears up to make their own power units, they will need all the technical assistance they can get to hit the ground running in 2026.