Silverstone pace vital for Verstappen and Red Bull

Red Bull could be poised for a rebound at Silverstone, following a dismal home race in Austria marked by Max Verstappen’s first-lap DNF and a general lack of pace.

After that performance, even the typically optimistic Dr Helmut Marko admitted Red Bull may be out of the title fight, echoing Verstappen’s own subdued outlook.

With the lead McLaren now 61 points ahead in the drivers’ standings, the pressure is mounting. Still, Silverstone may offer Red Bull a more favourable setting.

“I’m very curious about Silverstone,” said De Telegraaf journalist Erik van Haren. “We’ll likely get low temperatures and high-speed corners. It will be a very important weekend to see where Red Bull stands.”

Former F1 driver Christijan Albers agrees that the British Grand Prix could play to Red Bull’s strengths.

“If I had to predict now, I would say Red Bull should actually be very strong there,” Albers told De Telegraaf. “With the high speeds and long straights, I think Max could really have an advantage.”

If Silverstone doesn't deliver, however, it could further damage Verstappen’s already fragile confidence in Red Bull’s 2025 project, and reignite the rumoured talks with Mercedes.

Speculation continues to swirl around Verstappen and Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, with some insiders believing serious discussions have resumed. Meanwhile, George Russell, who won in Austria, is still without a contract extension.

“I don’t want to make any driver wait,” Wolff said. “But we still have plenty of time. By the end of the summer break, everything will be done.”

With promising Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli also in the frame, the idea of a Verstappen-Antonelli pairing in 2026 has gained traction.

After Antonelli took Verstappen out on lap one in Austria, some even speculated about their friendly post-race exchange.

“Were Kimi and Max so nice to each other because they’ll be teammates next year?” former driver Alex Wurz asked Wolff playfully. “They just respect each other,” Wolff replied on ORF. “Max enjoys Kimi’s career. There are a lot of parallels between them.”

Wurz grinned: “No answer.” Marko had a more pointed view. “Anyone next to Max makes a bad impression,” the Red Bull advisor said. “And for Antonelli, in just his second year of Formula 1, being paired with Max would be far too early.”

Auto Motor und Sport journalist Michael Schmidt warned that signing Verstappen could be a double-edged sword for Wolff.

“He risks creating a team that revolves around one driver,” Schmidt noted. “That’s what happened at Red Bull. And Russell and Verstappen in one team would be fireworks, and very expensive ones.”

Dutch racing pundit Tom Coronel went a step further, arguing that Mercedes wouldn’t even be a good move for Verstappen.

“Remind me, how competitive was Mercedes in Austria?” he told Viaplay. “Believe me, Max will stay at Red Bull.”

In fact, Coronel still believes Verstappen has a shot at the 2025 world championship, saying: “The two McLarens would have to take each other out, but we saw that it almost happened.”