JULY 2, 2025

Silverstone very important for Red Bull says Albers

Red Bull could bounce back from Austria with strong pace at Silverstone.

After the team's home event, characterised by lagging pace and Max Verstappen's lap 1 retirement, the normally more upbeat Dr Helmut Marko finally joined the quadruple world champion in essentially writing off both championships.

But although the gap to the leading McLaren is a whopping 61 points, Silverstone could at least be a more competitive weekend for Verstappen.

I'm very curious about Silverstone, De Telegraaf journalist Erik van Haren said.

We will probably get low temperatures. We will get fast corners, he said. It will be a very important weekend to see where Red Bull stands.

Former F1 driver Christijan Albers agreed: "If I have to predict now, I would analyse that Red Bull should actually be very strong there.

When I see the high speeds and the long straights, I think Max could really have an advantage there.

If it doesn't work out for Verstappen in the UK, however, it's not just his title hopes that could be totally up in smoke, but also his remaining confidence in Red Bull.

The Austrian GP was chock-full of speculation that serious talks are back on between Verstappen's management and Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.

The very on-form George Russell, for instance, is still waiting for a new contract.

I don't want to make any driver wait, Wolff acknowledged, "but we still have plenty of time.

At a certain point until after the summer break, everything will be done.

Some think Mercedes' 2026 lineup could be Verstappen alongside Wolff's promising 18-year-old protege Kimi Antonelli - who wiped the Dutchman out of the Austrian GP.

Were Kimi and Max so nice to each other after that because they'll be teammates next year? former F1 driver Alex Wurz cheekily asked Wolff.

Wolff responded on ORF: "They simply respect each other.

I think Max enjoys Kimi's career. There are an incredible number of parallels between the two.

The still-cheeky Wurz quipped: No answer.

Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko, however, has advice for Wolff.

Anyone next to Max makes a bad impression, he said. And for Antonelli, who will be in his second year in Formula 1, Max would really be too early.

Auto Motor und Sport correspondent Michael Schmidt, meanwhile, thinks signing Verstappen would also be a big risk for Wolff. He runs the risk of becoming a team that revolves around one driver, he warned.

That's exactly what has happened at Red Bull. And Russell and Verstappen in one team would be real fireworks - and also very expensive.

Dutch racing personality Tom Coronel thinks Mercedes would even be a risk for Verstappen. Remind me, how competitive was Mercedes in Austria? he rhetorically told Viaplay.

Believe me, Max will stay at Red Bull.

Coronel even believes Verstappen is still in with a chance of a fifth consecutive drivers' world championship. The two McLarens would have to take each other out, he noted, but we saw that it almost happened.

(GMM)