McLaren have dominated this season and, after being the quickest team on the grid in 2024, they\u2019ve taken another step forward this year.<\/p>\n
In contrast, Red Bull have remained static, and while Verstappen won races at Suzuka and Imola, they were outliers in what has ultimately been a frustrating season.<\/p>\n
Position Drivers’ Championship PointsPts 1 266 2 250 3 185 4 157 5 139 6 109 7 63 8 54 9 37 10 27 <\/p>\n
Question marks over Pierre Wache remain at Red Bull<\/a>, and after the British Grand Prix, long-serving team principal Christian Horner was removed from his role<\/a>.<\/p>\n The backdrop of all of this is that the Dutchman\u2019s long-term future at Red Bull was questioned, especially when there was the threat of Verstappen\u2019s performance clause being activated<\/a>.<\/p>\n Verstappen finished ahead of Mercedes<\/a> driver George Russell<\/a> at the Belgian Grand Prix<\/a>, meaning the clause can no longer be activated this season.<\/p>\n Mercedes long held an interest in Verstappen<\/a>, and the role Toto Wolff<\/a> played in negotiations is now being questioned.<\/p>\n READ MORE: Red Bull driver Max Verstappen\u2019s life outside F1 from net worth to girlfriend<\/a><\/p>\n Journalist Ralf Bach was speaking on the F1 Insider YouTube channel about the apparent conclusion of the Verstappen to Mercedes saga.<\/p>\n He explained: \u201cHe will stay; they don\u2019t even want to make it official.<\/p>\n \u201cI know he\u2019s staying; he\u2019s decided not to go to Mercedes. One reason for this is that he obviously doesn\u2019t want to let the team down and wants to give Red Bull another year\u2019s chance to perhaps turn things around, despite the new engine regulations.<\/p>\n \u201cHe didn\u2019t want to just run away. I think he would have seen that a little bit himself, too.<\/p>\n \u201cIf Horner was sacrificed for him, then he should pay it back by trying to get things back on track together with the new guys.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd as for Mercedes, I think Toto Wolff is more of a problem there.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t really put in the effort, I think. And above all, I think Max was seeing him too often in Monaco, and he should actually be sitting in his company in Brackley all the time, and he\u2019s not doing that at the moment.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd maybe he doesn\u2019t have to, I don\u2019t know, but that was also the soft approach to the outside world.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 CEO and team principal Toto Wolff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n Mercedes preparing George Russell contract as Kimi Antonelli seeks to improve his performance<\/p>\n Although Verstappen hasn\u2019t publicly confirmed his plans to stay at Red Bull, because his contract runs until 2028, he technically doesn\u2019t need to.<\/p>\n However, Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko told Sport.de<\/a> that the Dutchman wouldn\u2019t be going anywhere.<\/p>\n Marko\u2019s statement would have allowed Russell and Kimi Antonelli<\/a> to begin relaxing about their Formula 1 futures.<\/p>\n TEAMDRIVER 1DRIVER 2AlpinePierre GaslyN\/AAston MartinFernando AlonsoLance StrollAudiGabriel BortoletoNico HulkenbergCadillacN\/AN\/AFerrariCharles LeclercLewis HamiltonHaasEsteban OconOliver BearmanMcLarenLando NorrisOscar PiastriMercedesN\/AN\/ARacing BullsN\/AN\/ARed Bull RacingMax VerstappenN\/AWilliamsAlex AlbonCarlos Sainz2026 confirmed F1 drivers<\/p>\n![\"Red](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2226917907-1024x724.jpg\")
Photo by Clive Rose \u2013 Formula 1\/Formula 1 via Getty ImagesToto Wolff \u2018didn\u2019t really put in the effort\u2019 during Max Verstappen to Mercedes negotiations<\/p>\n![\"Mercedes](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2222230025-1024x683.jpg\")
Photo by Jakub Porzycki\/NurPhoto via Getty Images<\/p>\n