Max Verstappen has urged Red Bull not to give up on the 2025 Formula 1 season, despite his diminishing title prospects and the upcoming change to the regulations.
Verstappen is all but certain to relinquish the hold he has had on the Drivers’ Championship since 2021 as he sits 97 points behind Oscar Piastri at the summer break.
The Dutchman has long insisted that he is not in contention with the McLaren duo, though Red Bull harboured hope that upgrades might propel him back into the mix.
But with the team’s most recent updates not eliminating the RB21’s limitations, Verstappen’s podium drought extended to four races as he wound up ninth in Hungary.
However, Verstappen, who has established that he will remain with the side amid renewed discussions with Mercedes, has called on Red Bull not to rest on its laurels.
Even with a revamp to the technical rules on the horizon, Verstappen claimed that Red Bull can learn things over the remaining rounds that will be applicable for 2026.
“There’s still a lot to learn also this year,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.
“Of course, the car that has to be built for next year, of course, that is fully on the way. But the engineering side of things, there’s still a lot that we can learn this year.
“So you cannot just say, ‘OK, we’re not winning this year the championship, so we just build it off completely.’
“Like I said before, there are always things that you can take from this year to next year.”
Verstappen envisages hard end to 2025 season
Verstappen reiterated his stance as he admitted he is not expecting to be in a position to add to the two victories he has achieved to date amid McLaren’s dominance.
“I think no one really knows for next year where they will be at,” the reigning F1 champion added regarding the potential pecking order in 2026.
“And for us this year, I think realistically, it’s going to be very difficult, of course, to fight McLaren. I think it’s already difficult enough to fight with Ferrari and Mercedes.
“But I think there’s still a lot of opportunity to learn more about the car and the behaviour of the car.
“Because still, of course, I know that the cars will be different next year. There are still things that you can take out of this year and also implement for next year.”
READ MORE – Red Bull outlines 2026 F1 ambition after Max Verstappen commits to the team
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