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Gutted hulkenburg only got a lego trophy after all his years!
Great race, made a nice change to be able to watch it live not being behind a paywall. Love it when the weather mixes things up! Would've liked Hamilton to podium but had to be happy for Hulk/Sauber. McLarens are on another level at the moment 😊
the Red Bull was useless.
Because they'd reduced the size of the rear wing to almost Monza spec. which worked well enough during qualis, but the cool and wet weather on race day meant that it couldn't heat it's rear tyres up. I think Max probably ended up where he would've placed anyway regardless of his spin
Piastri asking to have his place back was proper cheeky though
Good race overall thanks to a bit of good ole 'British Summer weather', although I don't think Colapinto is going to last much longer (if at all), retiring the car after no laps. I think all the rookies bar Bearman had a terrible race, although Antonelli can at least claim he wasn't to blame for his retirement.
I think everyone was pleased for Hulkenberg though.
Piastri asking to have his place back was proper cheeky though
It just came across as sly and devious, not attributes I want in my hero's...
I really wanted a Hamilton podium but I'm over the moon for Hulk. A podium from 19th on the grid. Superb drive.
Love the vid of his daughter watching at home
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/XA7fvoCVcEk?si=MOrbEINXQfBKnp8z
It's an absolute dog of a car
Jees, this again. It's such an exaggeration. It's not "an absolute dog of a car", it's won two races, I think three podiums and four poles. In fact in single lap pace it is the clear second fastest car on the grid.
They've developed the car down a blind alley due to Max's driving style which has meant it has a very narrow operating window, and nobody else can drive it.
Again I refer the poster to Albon's explanation of why this is from 5 years ago: Verstappen continually gives feedback that he wants the car "sharper, sharper, sharper". They make the car sharper, he goes faster. Repeat and compound this feedback for 5 years, and they've now made the car too sharp and too flighty for anybody else to drive. In some conditions, too much for Max even, but when it works, it is quick.
I think all the rookies bar Bearman had a terrible race
Is that the Bearman who stupidly bagged himself a 10 place grid drop and then drove into his teammate sending them both into a spin?
They've developed the car down a blind alley due to Max's driving style which has meant it has a very narrow operating window, and nobody else can drive it.
Again I refer the poster to Albon's explanation of why this is from 5 years ago: Verstappen continually gives feedback that he wants the car "sharper, sharper, sharper".
This is why I question people who say "Max would be beating Norris and Piastri if he was in the McLaren". This year more than any other is showing Max's raw speed and talent but he wants the car to behave a certain way to unleash that potential. If he jumped into the current McLaren I'd expect he'd find it doesn't have those characteristics so it wouldn't suit his natural driving style. He'd undoubtedly still be quick but he'd take some time to adapt to the the car (or vice versa) to be at his best.
Anyone noticed that Lindblad was just over a tenth closer to Verstappen in FP1 than Tsunoda was to him in FP2?
.
I suspect the person most hoping that Verstappen keeps his nose clean for the rest of season and doesn't get a ban is Hadjar
The penalty was reasonable; he can't have any complaints.
Not sure what you were watching? It was ridiculous and he was very careful not to blow up in the interviews. He slowed down in a straight line and did it once. The wording in the regs is "erratic". That was a slapped wrist error, not a race ruining one. Not only did it ruin Piasti's race, it ruined the spectacle for everyone. OK Lando won but the interference was the only way he was going to win that race. Fix?
Did the stewards not notice Max's illegal overtake? These guys are supposed to have some of the fastest reactions in the world and still Verstappen overtook Piastri. At the best they should have both been penalised.
The phrase "if it wasn't Max" comes to mind
Piastri screwed up, he has only himself to blame.
It's an absolute dog of a car
Jees, this again. It's such an exaggeration. It's not "an absolute dog of a car", it's won two races, I think three podiums and four poles. In fact in single lap pace it is the clear second fastest car on the grid.
They've developed the car down a blind alley due to Max's driving style which has meant it has a very narrow operating window, and nobody else can drive it.
Again I refer the poster to Albon's explanation of why this is from 5 years ago: Verstappen continually gives feedback that he wants the car "sharper, sharper, sharper". They make the car sharper, he goes faster. Repeat and compound this feedback for 5 years, and they've now made the car too sharp and too flighty for anybody else to drive. In some conditions, too much for Max even, but when it works, it is quick.
It is clearly an absolute dog of a car. And as has been explained by many actual experts in F1 design, it's really not that the car has only been designed around Max' driving style. The homologation rules for one, make that a red herring. The reality is that it suits just a handful of tracks, and needs Max' talent to make it competitive. Max is simply head and shoulders above the rest in terms of driving talent and ability. No other driver on the grid could have achieved wins in the Red Bull this season.
The penalty was reasonable; he can't have any complaints.
Not sure what you were watching?
The race where Piastri was found to have 'driven erratically' behind the safety car, and penalised for doing so.
It was ridiculous and he was very careful not to blow up in the interviews. He slowed down in a straight line and did it once. The wording in the regs is "erratic". That was a slapped wrist error, not a race ruining one. Not only did it ruin Piasti's race, it ruined the spectacle for everyone. OK Lando won but the interference was the only way he was going to win that race. Fix?
He fell foul of the rules and was penalised. Nothing more, nothing less. Suggesting anything else is into paranoid conspiracy theory territory.
Did the stewards not notice Max's illegal overtake?
No because there wasn't one.
The phrase "if it wasn't Max" comes to mind
Not to me it doesn't.
Max is simply head and shoulders above the rest in terms of driving talent and ability. No other driver on the grid could have achieved wins in the Red Bull this season.
You have no way of knowing what other drivers could have done in that car. I'm pretty sure that Alonso or Leclerc would do vastly better than Tsunoda. I don't think anyone seriously doubts that Max is extremely gifted, but the only competitive teammate he's had was Ricciardo. Hamilton's had Alonso, Button, Rosberg, Russell, and Leclerc as teammates, they're all top-class drivers. Alonso has had Hamilton, Button, and Raikkonen. Leclerc has had Vettel and Hamilton, plus Sainz. We know Max is good but we can't know how good unless he accepts a competitive teammate.
Not sure what you were watching? It was ridiculous and he was very careful not to blow up in the interviews. He slowed down in a straight line and did it once. The wording in the regs is "erratic". That was a slapped wrist error, not a race ruining one.
Piastri slowed abruptly from around 130mph to 30mph using twice the braking force that Russell used in Canada, in the middle of a straight, in the wet, with everyone else suffering limited visibility from spray, and he did so completely unnecessarily given that there were four more corners and one decent straight remaining in the lap.
It was a pretty excessive manoeuvre for the dry, but it was—or at least seems from my particular armchair—a stupid thing to do in wet conditions where no-one on track would have had decent visibility of how bunched the pack were. Absolutely deserved a penalty. Whether it warranted 10s rather than 5s is more debatable.
It is clearly an absolute dog of a car. And as has been explained by many actual experts in F1 design, it's really not that the car has only been designed around Max' driving style. The homologation rules for one, make that a red herring. The reality is that it suits just a handful of tracks, and needs Max' talent to make it competitive. Max is simply head and shoulders above the rest in terms of driving talent and ability. No other driver on the grid could have achieved wins in the Red Bull this season.
The simple fact is being on pole for 1/3 of the races = not an "absolute dog".
Nobody is "head and shoulders" above anybody else amongst the current top drivers, there are mere fractions of a percent between them. If you think otherwise you are deluded.
Just to remind you, Ricciardo was more than a match for Max until they started giving Danny the Red Bull #2 driver treatment (Baku 2018, specifically).
On a lighter note, I love this:
Nobody is "head and shoulders" above anybody else amongst the current top drivers, there are mere fractions of a percent between them. If you think otherwise you are deluded.
However, I can't help notice that whenever people involved professionally in the sport- other drivers, team managers, journos etc- are asked who is the fastest driver on the grid, they all seem to say 'Max'. This doesn't stop various randoms on the internet trying to find ways to suggest he isn't all that good. I don't particularly take to him as a person, but I would say its pretty clear how he is regarded by those who should know.
I can't help notice that whenever people involved professionally in the sport- other drivers, team managers, journos etc- are asked who is the fastest driver on the grid, they all seem to say 'Max'. This doesn't stop various randoms on the internet trying to find ways to suggest he isn't all that good.
I don't think anyone on here is saying he's not good, it's just that we are in a golden age of competitive drivers and it's not clear that Max is "head and shoulders" better than Leclec, Piastri, Norris, Hamilton, Alonso, Russell, etc. Unless you put them all in the same car and do multiple races on different circuits in different weather conditions, you can't know who is really better. On top of that, Hamilton and Alonso are near the end of their careers - Max beating them now (when they are in inferior cars) doesn't mean that he would have beaten them when they were in their prime. Max is an exceptional driver, but we don't know how he would have fared against Alonso or Schumacher or Hamilton in the same car when they were at their peaks.
@Imnotverygood - sorry if maybe you are typing in a second language, but it's all in the nuance.
The vernacular meaning of 'head and shoulder above" doesn't just mean they are the best. It's means they are so much better than anybody else to the extent that comparison to anyone else is both irrelevant and laughable.
It is perfectly possible to be considered the best at a thing universally by everyone that matters and simultaneously NOT be "head and shoulders better".
Most people understand this, but as I say apologies if you are typing in a second language and the obvious is not that obvious to you.
And from the Independent -
Christian Horner has been sensationally sacked as Red Bull F1 boss, according to multiple reports.
The Red Bull team principal has been in charge of the outfit since its inception in 2005, leading them to six constructors’ titles and eight drivers’ crowns.
But just one year on from the personal scandal involving alleged “inappropriate behaviour” with a female colleague – an accusation he was cleared of twice – Horner has on Wednesday morning lost his job.
An announcement is expected this morning. Red Bull have been approached for comment.
Red Bull endured a race to forget at the British Grand Prix on Sunday and the team are now positioned a distant fourth in the constructors’ standings
This is an absolute travesty, a lot of you might not like the character you see on TV but he's nothing like that to the staff.
And his replacement.... Dear god WTF
If there's any truth to the allegations - and I assume from the sacking there is - good riddance.
Well that's one announcement I wasn't expecting. I thought Horner was slimey enough to keep himself in that roll until he decided otherwise. What are the chances that Verstappen has signed elsewhere that have triggered this? Or will Horner being sacked be the final straw for Max to go elsewhere?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/articles/cn5k6y1xyl3o
Kinda made my day.
"Thank you for everything, Christian, and you will forever remain an important part of our team history." ...... Now get out 👉
I find Horner quite dislikeable, but he does deserve credit as starting as the youngest team principal and building one of the all-time great teams. Hiring Newey and giving him the resources he needed to build a top-notch technical department was the key to that. Losing Newey is an appropriate bookend to the story. What emerges from the rubble will effectively be a new team, I hope they learn from Horner's mistakes and rebuild as something a bit easier to like.
Fred Vasseur right now.
This is an absolute travesty, a lot of you might not like the character you see on TV but he's nothing like that to the staff.
And his replacement.... Dear god WTF
Too friendly if anything! (allegedly) On that note, I wonder what happens with the tribunal now?
It will be interesting to see if the real reason for the sacking comes out.
Max & Jos are (IIRC) team Marko, so it could be a "he goes or i do" deal to keep Max in the team. Then again, would Max really want the instability a new team principle would introduce?
would Max really want the instability a new team principle would introduce?
He may want to wait a year to see how the new engines and cars work out next year. If the Red Bull is uncompetitive, at least he'll know which team is a better alternative.
[i]
1) Oscar beats Lando for the World Champ and Lando retires due to stress and mental anxiety setting up a llama farm in Cornwal
2) Fred gets kicked out of Ferrari and Hamilton has no support so leave for Aston.
3) Stroll the Younger gets bored and goes to play tennis.
4) Max sees how much he can screw Mercedes and then goes for the spare seat at Ferrari to cause much team tension with Le Clerc.
5) Red Bull implodes and tries to grab Russel from Mercedes but loses him to McLaren so gets Bob from the local chip shop as a wild card.
6) Spare seat at Mercedes gets fought over by the other newbies and Hadjar gets it as he is better than I thought.
Drive to Survive reboot?
What fun ideas from you guys?[/i]
They are just doing the ground woirk for my masterplan detailed a couple of pages ago.
Point 2 will happen soon for Fred, if not Hamilton.
Points 4 & 5 are underway.
I think Red Bull have realised that they absolutely cannot loose Max, without him they're nowhere. The Marko/Verstappen group have probs given an ultimatum that the only way they even think about staying is if Horner goes. I think they want a change in direction for the car that Horner is either not willing to go along with or actively rejects. It'll be interesting to see if there are any more major changes to the team in terms of engine or aero recruitment.
I think Red Bull have realised that they absolutely cannot loose Max, without him they're nowhere.
...but that's because the "team" has gone down a dead-end road with the car, to suit Max.
F1 is a team sport. I remember years ago Ron Dennis (maybe Frank Williams too) talking about the constructors championship being the most important thing. Promoting the individual to the exclusion of team success is a very focused approach that can work well (qv Red Bull) but can also fail badly (qv Red Bull).
I think they want a change in direction for the car that Horner is either not willing to go along with or actively rejects.
Horner doesn't design the car, the engineers do. Adrian Newey was the technical director when this year's car was designed. The car problems are Newey's responsibility.
but he's nothing like that to the staff.
Which staff......the one that accused him of sexual assault?
I think it was Jensen Button in an interview recently that repeated the adage that you leave F1 the same age you joined it. He was referring to drivers, but I wonder if it applies to team principles too. 31 was incredibly young into that role....before you've possibly learnt the man management and taking responsibility for your own actions skills that come with age and breadth of experiences.
The car problems are Newey's responsibility.
Or was he being forced into making the car perfect for Max, not giving him a choice to make it work for other drivers. THat, plus other factors, being the reason he left the team?
So who are we going to complain about now!?
Hornier told Brundlenthat he hasn't been given a reason for the sacking (according to Brundle anyway)
Or was he being forced into making the car perfect for Max
That's not really what happened. The car development is guided by windtunnel and simulation results. They'd try stuff in the windtunnel and see that it improved downforce, then put it on the car. The problem was that the extra downforce was "peaky" and difficult to access on the limit. Max could handle that but Perez couldn't. It wasn't a deliberate decision to design the car for Max, just to make a faster car. It worked, Max won four world titles on the trot, but they pushed it too far and now it's a dead end. If they try to make the current car easier to drive, it'll be slower. so they need to throw away several years of development and start again.
Last week if you'd have said that Tsunoda would outlast Horner at Red Bull, you would have been laughed at...
Horner doesn't design the car, the engineers do
yep, aware I meant the direction of the team in general, driver choice speed of development of parts: aero engine etc etc Ultimately that's (was) Horners responsibility. The Verstappens have been unhappy for a while now.
The key question is, to quote Jennie Gow: ‘is this to protect Max from leaving Red Bull or is this because he's left Red Bull already and this is the result of that?'
So that's Horner sacked, Max to Mercedes, Alpine changing drivers again, Vasseur being ejected from Ferrari... As someone on threads suggested:
"F1 isn't a sport, it's a reality show with lap times"
Can't remember where I read it (might have been Andrew Benson on Chequered Flag) , but I liked the theory that Max will take a sabbatical in 26, then go to either Merc or Aston once he knows who has the best car in the new regs
Also, odds on Horner turning up at Alpine?
Also, odds on Horner turning up at Alpine?
I'd put money on him never being a F1 team principal again.
Indycar I reckon. He's got the feel of an American, just with a British accent.
I'd put money on him never being a F1 team principal again.
Yep, just like Flav being banned from the sport for life.
The Race reporting that two of Horners senior allies have also been relieved of their duties - starting to look like a coup within the team.
Nobody told RB’s social media department it seems. Impeccable timing.
Bernice reckons Horner must have done something really bad to warrant being fired with immediate effect, not just poor performance
[i]Some very influential and high-profile members of the team have left in recent years, in part due to personal and/or professional controversies Horner has been part of, including former technical chief Adrian Newey, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley, chief engineering officer Rob Marshall and soon-to-leave strategy boss Will Courtenay, who will reunite with Marshall at McLaren next year.[/i]
Looks like Red Bull have tried to pull a bad tooth from the team by chopping off its head.
Do we not think that Max has signed for Mercedes already? Might have been the final nail...
So who are we going to complain about now!?
Don't worry, there's plenty of other dislikeable characters to chose from. Jos, Max, Lance, Flavio, MBS...
Would it be a daft idea for Verstappen and Hadjar to swap cars for a couple of races?
Would be interesting to watch, and should give RB plenty of information in the bad car/rubbish second driver debate.
Given that Yuki and Liam were both going better in the junior team it might also help get more points for Max if he gets promoted to VCARB, get his championship back on track...
Do we not think that Max has signed for Mercedes already? Might have been the final nail...
Opinion seems split between 'Horner has lost Verstappen, let's get rid of him' and 'Verstappen wants Horner out so let's get rid of him to keep Max' Has he gone because Max has gone, or gone to keep Max?
Time will tell, but my feeling, based on very little evidence, is that Max will be at Merc next year. If that's the case I would love to see Kimi do to him what Lewis did to Fernando
The thing is, though, Russell is really firing on all cylinders. He’s beaten all his teammates, whether that’s trouncing everyone at Williams or edging ahead of a 7-time champion. He’s clearly getting the most out of the Merc at the moment (ok, Silverstone was a gamble that failed, but why not?) and has pretty much put a lid on the occasional but significant errors of old. He’s still getting better and better. Kimi is close on a good weekend, albeit still definitely behind, but he’s had some bad weekends lately.
Toto has a tough choice to make if Verstappen joins. With George he gets two top end drivers who are both performing at their best, but with the risk of fireworks. With Kimi he has a clearer 1-2 relationship but a question mark over whether Kimi will deliver in 2026.
McLaren and Ferrari both have two very strong drivers each. Mercedes might need the same. Honestly right now I think George is the better choice to keep. I suspect Toto sees it differently though, and he’s probably slightly better at this than I am 😂
I read somewhere that both Toto's and Max's private yachts were in Sicily this weekend.....probably rubbish
If Merc signs Verstappen and farms Kimi out to another team "on loan", would Russell accept being no.2 driver (as I'm pretty sure Verstappen wouldn't accept anything other than outright no.1 status)....?
The thing is, though, Russell is really firing on all cylinders. He’s beaten all his teammates, whether that’s trouncing everyone at Williams or edging ahead of a 7-time champion. He’s clearly getting the most out of the Merc at the moment (ok, Silverstone was a gamble that failed, but why not?) and has pretty much put a lid on the occasional but significant errors of old. He’s still getting better and better. Kimi is close on a good weekend, albeit still definitely behind, but he’s had some bad weekends lately.
Toto has a tough choice to make if Verstappen joins. With George he gets two top end drivers who are both performing at their best, but with the risk of fireworks. With Kimi he has a clearer 1-2 relationship but a question mark over whether Kimi will deliver in 2026.
McLaren and Ferrari both have two very strong drivers each. Mercedes might need the same. Honestly right now I think George is the better choice to keep. I suspect Toto sees it differently though, and he’s probably slightly better at this than I am 😂
I'd agree with that. Russell and Max aren't the best of mates, although I think any animosity is massively overhyped by a media with nothing better to talk about. And I don't believe the assertion by some that Max doesn't want a competent teammate who might beat him; Max loves a fight, and I reckon would relish a proper battle like that. I still think Max would be the better of the two over a season, but Russell would be a bit closer than Perez was. Both would be able to help develop the car toward winning the WCC, which is the team's prime goal.
Max will be at Merc next year.
Then the Verstappen group must be desperate, and at the very least Toto should be able to get Max for a knock down price.
TBH; It smacks of desperation on both sides.
For the last 4 years Merc has demonstrated in plain sight that it doesn't understand these aero rules, doesn't understand it's own car and cannot correct the problems that it has. It's own world class driver has left in desperation, it's had 4 years and it's still fourth best behind RB, Ferrari and Mclaren. Hoping to get Max to join them is a last ditch attempt to get someone - anyone who can drive around the issues the car has more consistently that either Hamilton or Russel could achieve in a desperate bid not to become the next Williams.
For Max; forcing Horner out and still jumping to Merc makes zero sense - you go from a car that has (at least) had a decent foundation, that you understand, that you know the team, that you now finally have more control at, that finally might correct some of the issues that it has, to somewhere where there is another 'Top Man' that still won't be at all interested in your Dad's opinion about anything, and the car is still shit.
Toto is admitting that it doesn't rate Antonelli or Russell, and knows the car isn't going to improve significantly in the next rules changes, and Max is admitting that it was never really about Horner's control freakery, it's just a Hail Mary to try not to become another stat behind Hamilton's domination.
For the last 4 years Merc has demonstrated in plain sight that it doesn't understand these aero rules, doesn't understand it's own car and cannot correct the problems that it has.
It's been widely acknowledged that in 2026 the balance will switch back from essentially being an aero formula back to being an engine formula. And Mercedes know a thing or two about building a good engine.
There's also the doubts about new Ford/Red Bull Powertrains engine - if that engine blows Ferrari, Mercedes and Honda out of the water at their first attempt I'll eat my underpants!
Red Bull is in a bit of a state at the minute so Mercedes may look like a stable environment and one he can scrutinise what's happening with Aston Martin for a couple of seasons.
For the last 4 years Merc has demonstrated in plain sight that it doesn't understand these aero rules, doesn't understand its own car and cannot correct the problems that it has. Its own world class driver jhas left in desperation, it's had 4 years and it's still fourth best behind RB, Ferrari and Mclaren.
I disagree. Some weekends they’re second best; some third or fourth. Ranking the Red Bull is tricky: is it a top-three car that’s consistently had terrible drivers in the second seat, or is it now a midfield car that Max, and Max alone, is casting in a favourable light? Meanwhile Mercedes seem to finally have a drivable car this season and are mainly just suffering from tyre management in warm conditions; of the front teams it’s Ferrari who seem to have the greatest aero struggles.
Hoping to get Max to join them is a last ditch attempt to get someone - anyone who can drive around the issues the car has more consistently that either Hamilton or Russel could achieve in a desperate bid not to become the next Williams.
No, it’s an attempt to get the best driver in the business in one of their cars. It’s incredibly simple.
Any team principal who writes off their engineering team and relies on a better driver as a “last ditch” attempt to arrest a slide down the points table is not going to last long in the job, and Toto’s hardly in that category.
This is especially true when a massive rules change is on the horizon and Mercedes are the favourites to produce at least the best engine and possibly the best complete package.
For Max; forcing Horner out and still jumping to Merc makes zero sense - you go from a car that has (at least) had a decent foundation, that you understand, that you know the team, that you now finally have more control at, that finally might correct some of the issues that it has, to somewhere where there is another 'Top Man' that still won't be at all interested in your Dad's opinion about anything, and the car is still shit.
Except that Max has apparently been telling the team for ages that their car development has been going in the wrong direction, and it seems they’ve not been listening. Why not find another team who are more prepared to listen?
Toto is admitting that it doesn't rate Antonelli or Russell, and knows the car isn't going to improve significantly in the next rules changes
I don’t know how you infer either of those things. Max is like Ferrari: when they call, you answer. There is not a team in the paddock—not even McLaren or Ferrari—that wouldn’t at least review its seating arrangements if Max walked into the motor home and said “I want to drive for you”. The fact is that Max is perceived as the best driver on the grid, by some margin, and also brings a lot of attention, which brings a lot of sponsorship. Teams want championship points, which means they want the best drivers in their cars, and right now Max is seen as the best.
It’s just not as complex as you’re making it out to be. Teams want the best drivers, and drivers want the best car. And that’s it.
Teams want the best drivers, and drivers want the best car. And that’s it.
And yet they haven't called me as either a designer or driver. Makes you wonder, huh?
from essentially being an aero formula back to being an engine formula.
One of the biggest changes for 2026 is the movable rear and front wings (the X and Z modes) while the reliance on ground effect is reduced, it's still going to be a major component, especially as the mechanical grip from tyres is going to be reduced (thinner tyres both front and rear) and don't forget; McLaren already has a customer Merc engine. It's still going to be mostly about aero, and Merc simply isn't as good as the teams it competes with in that arena. Hywell Thomas (who runs the Brixworth engine plant for Merc) has said that the engine is pretty much a blank sheet start, despite the continuation of the V6 turbo-hybrid, in an interview he said;
"It is a complete tear-up, which I don't think was quite as apparent to me as it should have been as we were setting out the regulations"
There's no guarantee that Merc will be dominant force that it's previously been.
Teams want the best drivers, and drivers want the best car. And that’s it.
Oh sure, I don't disagree with the sentiment. I just don't think that having engineered the removal of Horner to presumably make RB better suited to your needs*, moving to Mercedes where you won't have that sort of control makes any sort of sense. Plus I don't think the Merc is either currently or is going to be (in 2026) the best car, certainly not any better then the RB, and Verstappen - like everyone else, must know that's currently the McLaren, and you'll have noted that Zac Brown hasn't made any moves to attract Max to Maclaren Presumably the Vertsappen's know that Zac Brown is going to say "I have Piastri and Norris, thanks" but Toto hasn't said that about Russell and Antonelli...
* I would bet money that when RB executives asked the Verstappens "what would make you stay?" the removal of Horner was one of the conditions.
Ouch! Just enough truth to really hurt 🙂
One of the biggest changes for 2026 is the movable rear and front wings (the X and Z modes) while the reliance on ground effect is reduced, it's still going to be a major component, especially as the mechanical grip from tyres is going to be reduced (thinner tyres both front and rear) and don't forget; McLaren already has a customer Merc engine. It's still going to be mostly about aero, and Merc simply isn't as good as the teams it competes with in that arena.
Maybe, but ground effect is not like “normal” aero. It’s extremely sensitive to the ride height, which constantly changes as the car accelerates, brakes, corners, rides bumps, hits kerbs, and so on. It’s hard to model such dynamic conditions accurately and you can’t reproduce most of them in a wind tunnel. Whereas conventional aero is much less sensitive to these things, meaning that not only is correlation better but it has less reliance on other aspects of dynamics, such as the suspension geometry, to bring it under control. The key aspect of the 2026 aero regs is not that aero becomes less important, it’s that downforce is generated by more easily modelled means.
There's no guarantee that Merc will be dominant force that it's previously been.
Of course. There’s never any guarantee. But the point in the context of Verstappen is that Merc are rumoured to have the edge when it comes to the PU, and the aero changes will ease the ground effect challenges that some teams have struggled with. On that basis McLaren and Merc look like the favourites, while RBPT seems to be considered an outside bet. And Max will know more about the reality of that than most. McLaren are probably the team least likely to bite Max’s arm off, and will remain so while they have a winning car and their driver remains non-toxic, whereas Toto has always been ready to hire him.
I just don't think that having engineered the removal of Horner to presumably make RB better suited to your needs*, moving to Mercedes where you won't have that sort of control makes any sort of sense.
* I would bet money that when RB executives asked the Verstappens "what would make you stay?" the removal of Horner was one of the conditions.
That makes a couple of assumptions.
Firstly that removing Horner was a direct result of an ultimatum from the Verstappens. Whereas it could be that Verstappen leaving has removed the last hopes that the team could continue in its current form and Red Bull want to just reboot the whole operation ready for next year.
Secondly that Max wouldn’t get preferential treatment at Mercedes as well. I think he would.
Time will tell…
My feeling, based on reading the opinions of F1 reporters, is that Max will probably stay with Red Bull to see how the 2026 car compares. McLaren are happy with the drivers they have so there's no other team that promises to be a major improvement over Red Bull. Best to wait for a year and see.
I think Horner's sacking was mostly just head office wanting to take the F1 team back under their control - it was set up and run as an independent business and I think others in the parent company thought Horner had too much independence. The engine program must have cost a fortune and is a big risk, plus the results on track have been pretty average for the last 12 months. Having the Verstappens and Helmut complaining probably didn't help, but I doubt that was the major factor in dumping Horner.
On that basis McLaren and Merc look like the favourites, while RBPT seems to be considered an outside bet.
And completely disregards whether Newey has had a lightbulb moment and the Aston will have some USP that will make it a rocketship.
Or Alpine. Or even Haas.
Such a big shake up could produce another Brawn. I hope so, that was a good seaon.
And completely disregards whether Newey has had a lightbulb moment and the Aston will have some USP that will make it a rocketship.
I think this is really what Max is waiting for - to team up with Newey and Honda again. But not jump in with both feet at the beginning or he could do an Alonso and end up being in the wrong team and the wrong time with a GP2 engine!
He's just got to choose whether to watch from the sidelines at Red Bull or Mercedes.
It seems like a safe bet that the Merc engine will be competitive, even if it isn't the absolute best. Red Bull and Honda might make competitive engines, but they're a gamble. Williams have two top-class drivers and their technical department seems to be doing a decent job, so they would be my pick to surprise next year. Alpine too, especially if they hire Bottas as the rumours suggest. But basically, I wouldn't be surprised if any of McLaren, Ferrari, Merc, Red Bull, Aston Martin, and Williams end up fighting for the championship next year.
There doesn't seem to be much being said about the Ferrari engine for next year.
If Max ends up at merc then it’s Russell who will be let go to make space. That’s a bad place for Russell looking at where the options are for him