Max Verstappen promise ripped up as Red Bull chief performs huge U-turn

Helmut Marko has declared that it is 'impossible' for Max Verstappen to win a fifth Drivers' Championship title in 2025, just weeks after pledging that Red Bull would fight until it was no longer 'mathematically possible'. The Dutchman finished ninth at the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday after slipping back from an already underwhelming P8 grid slot.

Red Bull attempted to keep Verstappen out on battered hard compound tyres for a one-stop strategy, but pulled him in late on, dropping him behind Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll, and Liam Lawson. Meanwhile, out front, it was business as usual. Lando Norris fended off team-mate and championship leader Oscar Piastri, with the rest of the field trailing far behind. After crossing the finish line, the gap between P1 in the standings and Verstappen widened to a daunting 97 points.

This prompted Red Bull advisor Marko to officially throw in the towel in the Drivers' Championship title fight. "It's impossible, clearly," he said at the Hungaroring on Sunday. This was an important moment in the battle for the crown, as it marked a significant U-turn.

After Christian Horner was sacked ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix, Marko pledged to fight until the end in the title battle. "As for the current sporting situation, there are still twelve races to go, and we will continue to fight for the drivers' championship as long as it's mathematically possible," he declared.

Verstappen has been on this wavelength since the race in Spa-Francorchamps. With the deficit to Piastri at 81 points, he was asked whether he agreed with Marko's comments. He jovially replied, "Helmut is not in the car!"

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The 27-year-old will be looking forward to the summer break, where he can reset and spend time with his young family. Next up for the Dutchman is his home race at Zandvoort, where Norris came out on top last year in a statement victory.

Verstappen will travel to the Dutch coast looking to end a run of four consecutive races without a podium finish - the first time this has happened in over seven years. In fact, the four-time world champion has just one top-three result in the last seven race weekends.

This machinery-induced slump is allowing George Russell back into the fight. The Mercedes driver, who seemed to be at risk of losing his seat to Verstappen just weeks ago, pipped polesitter Charles Leclerc to the final spot on the rostrum in Hungary. This means that the two rivals are separated by just 15 points heading into the summer break.