SILVERSTONE, England — Max Verstappen believes Red Bull’s hopes of mounting another late-season Formula 1 championship challenge have effectively ended, saying questions about a title comeback should no longer be asked after another disappointing weekend at the British Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion qualified only seventh at Silverstone after a power unit issue disrupted his session, but Verstappen said the technical problem merely compounded a larger issue: Red Bull no longer has the pace to compete consistently with the frontrunners.
One week earlier in Austria, Verstappen finished second and appeared capable of challenging for victory with a different race strategy. That performance briefly revived speculation about another second-half title charge similar to last season.
Verstappen, however, dismissed the idea.
“They shouldn’t ask me that question anymore,” the Dutch driver said when asked whether another championship fight remained possible.
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Silverstone has exposed weaknesses that Verstappen expects Red Bull to face repeatedly during the remainder of the season, particularly at circuits where energy management plays a decisive role under Formula 1’s 2026 regulations.
“We’re not very good on those tracks,” Verstappen said. “Plus, I think this weekend, the car balance has not been great.”
He predicted similar struggles at two of his favorite venues later this year.
“Spa will basically be the same, and Monza as well,” Verstappen said. “That’s a shame because Spa is obviously one of my favourite tracks. But it’s going to feel very different this year.”
The energy-management demands have also revived the so-called “yo-yo racing” effect, with drivers frequently alternating between pushing and conserving energy during races.
Verstappen has repeatedly criticized the racing style created by the new regulations but acknowledged there is little drivers can do to change it.
“That’s just how Formula 1 is at the moment,” he said. “There’s not much you can do about it. I’m mainly looking forward to going home again.”
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Asked whether he was also looking forward to the upcoming summer break, Verstappen responded with a laugh.
“Yes, but the summer break isn’t long enough!”
Unlike last season, when Red Bull introduced significant improvements after the midseason interval and nearly carried Verstappen to another championship, he does not expect a similar turnaround in 2026.
“You also have the cost cap to deal with,” Verstappen said. “Because of that, you can’t keep bringing a lot of upgrades to the car. We’ll keep evaluating things race by race, but once again, on tracks where you’re heavily limited in terms of energy management, we seem to struggle more.”
Performance has not been Red Bull’s only concern.
Verstappen said the team has also endured an unusual run of bad luck throughout the season. Saturday’s power unit issue followed a rear wing failure in Austria that contributed to his qualifying crash. Earlier this year he also crashed unexpectedly in Australia and retired from second place in Monaco because of another engine-related problem.
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The misfortune has extended beyond Formula 1. During the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Verstappen’s car suffered mechanical failure while leading late in the race.
Although he admitted the setbacks are easier to accept without a championship battle at stake, he remains surprised by the frequency of the problems.
“It’s almost like I’ve hit a black cat,” Verstappen said. “I don’t know what’s causing it. But I’m not very superstitious, so it’ll probably get better at some point.”
With Red Bull facing persistent performance limitations and reliability concerns, Verstappen enters the second half of the season expecting damage limitation rather than another dramatic championship resurgence.
