Max Verstappen at the Red Bull Ring typically spells success.
The reigning Formula 1 champion arrives at his team鈥檚 home race in Austria, where he鈥檚 triumphed five times, with an upgraded car, following a promising second place in Canada, despite his two McLaren rivals鈥 collision.
However, the broader picture is much less clear.
Verstappen faces the risk of a one-race suspension due to accumulating too many penalty points. His Red Bull teammate, Yuki Tsunoda, is generally too far behind to offer assistance, and Verstappen鈥檚 future remains uncertain.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think we need to talk about that,鈥 Verstappen said on Thursday when asked if he would stay with the team for 2026. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not really in my mind. It鈥檚 just driving and trying to push the performance, you know. And then we focus on next year.鈥
What choices does Verstappen have?
Verstappen has a contract until 2028, making his Red Bull seat theoretically one of the most secure on the grid. However, performance-related clauses could reportedly allow him to move.
In such a scenario, Mercedes would be the most obvious option, as they have yet to confirm either driver for 2026. This would mean Verstappen teaming up with former rival Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, who would have to decide between George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
Significant changes to F1 car design and performance are set for 2026, and Red Bull faces more adaptation than most.
For the first time in nearly two decades, they enter a new era of F1 rules without design guru Adrian Newey, who moved to Aston Martin last year.
While other leading teams stick with their current engine arrangements, Red Bull is changing. The team鈥檚 in-house engine developer, Red Bull Powertrains, will switch partners from Honda to newcomer Ford in 2026.
The second seat:
No team in F1 relies as heavily on one driver as Red Bull does on Verstappen. He鈥檚 scored 155 of the team鈥檚 162 points this season.
His teammates鈥攆irst Liam Lawson, then Yuki Tsunoda鈥攈ave struggled all season, rehabilitating the reputation of Sergio Perez, who was dropped by Red Bull after scoring barely one-third of Verstappen鈥檚 points last season.
鈥淚 know, deep down, they regret it,鈥 Perez said on a podcast this week. 鈥淎nd I know that from a very reliable source. It鈥檚 tough. I have very good friends there and people might think I take pleasure in what happened, but no.鈥
Red Bull鈥檚 car seems to suit Verstappen鈥檚 driving style more than anyone else鈥檚, but the Dutch driver says he can鈥檛 pinpoint the issue because he鈥檚 been with the team since 2016 and has no other reference point.
鈥淭he thing is that I don鈥檛 know any better, right?鈥 he said on Thursday. 鈥淚 mean, I鈥檝e started with Red Bull, so I only know one car, and that鈥檚 how I drive. I adapt to it. Is it the best? Is it the fastest? Is it not? I don鈥檛 know.鈥
With AP Inputs.