Max Verstappen says he is accepting Red Bull’s dip in form, focusing on learning with the current car ahead of the 2026 regulations

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Thompson / Getty Images

Max Verstappen has opened up on dealing with Red Bull’s current performance in Formula 1.

The Dutchman secured four consecutive drivers’ championships between 2021 and 2024 as the Milton Keynes outfit dominated the early years of the ground effect era. But the 2025 season so far has not seen the same form from Red Bull. After failing to defend the constructors’ title in 2024, Red Bull has struggled to find its dominance this year.

While it must be frustrating not to be as competitive as he was previously, Verstappen told F1.com that he just has to accept the position that the team is currently in.

“You also just have to accept where you’re at,” he said.

“Yeah, we are not the quickest at the moment, but we’re also not the slowest. We always want to be better, and actually, that was the same when we were winning. Now we’re not winning that much. We just try to focus on understanding the car a bit better, where we can find our time, because, of course, next year there’s new regulations, but I think there’s still a lot to learn also this year.”

He added: “I had many years before that where I didn’t have a winning car, so that’s Formula 1, and you know that, so it’s not a very hard thing to do [compartmentalise and deal with].”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, George Russell, Mercedes

Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images

The 27-year-old driver has scored 187 of the team’s 194 points. He started the year with rookie Liam Lawson as his team-mate, but the New Zealander was replaced by Yuki Tsunoda after just two race weekends. Red Bull has struggled for some time now to find a team-mate capable of extracting the same performance from the car as the four-time champion.

Although Tsunoda has struggled to adapt to Red Bull machinery, Verstappen defended the Japanese driver during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend.

“Yuki isn’t a pancake,” he told the media. “This [with the second Red Bull driver] has been going on for a long time. Maybe that’s a sign. Of what? That you can decide yourself.”