‘Can’t Carry a Car for Whole Season,’ F1 Pundit Gives Reality Check to Max Verstappen and Red Bull

Former F1 driver Martin Brundle made it clear that Max Verstappen cannot outdrive the Red Bull RB21 at every race.

‘Can’t Carry a Car for Whole Season,’ F1 Pundit Gives Reality Check to Max Verstappen and Red Bull

Max Verstappen and Helmut Marko (via Getty)

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Max Verstappen and Red Bull are having a difficult run in 2025. After four world titles in a row, the Dutch driver faces the biggest challenge yet amid Milton Keynes’ rapid performance decline. Though, the reigning world champion is still pushing hard at every race. Now, F1 presenter Martin Brundle has given the Austrian team a reality check.

Red Bull Racing has been increasingly dependent on Max Verstappen. Since 2019, the four-time world champion has served as the only frontrunner for Milton Keynes. Even this season, Verstappen has bagged virtually all of the team’s points. This has shown that the Dutch driver is undoubtedly quick no matter the circumstances. However, it has also exposed Red Bull’s weaknesses.

Martin Brundle recalled Max Verstappen’s stellar one-lap pace at Spa-Francorchamps a couple of weeks ago. The Briton reckoned that Verstappen’s precision was laser-guided as he put in some beautiful laps. Brundle insisted that the Red Bull knew exactly how to change his driving style to adapt to every situation.

Yeah, he’s put some laps in, I think I described one of his pole positions as laser-guided. It was just a beautiful way he was controlling the steering. The car’s moving around, Max can handle that. He just changed his driving style a little bit and carries the speed. 

Martin Brundle told Sky F1

However, the F1 presenter made it clear that while Max Verstappen can manage such performances on certain occasions, it is simply impossible to carry Red Bull’s weak car for the entirety of the 2025. After all, Verstappen’s failure to challenge McLaren in recent rounds has been due to a massive pace deficit to the Woking-based team.

Super brave in Spa, for example, with the skinny [rear wing] downforce, taking some of those really critical corners flat out.  And he can do it. But, you know, you can’t pick a car up and carry it for a whole season.

Martin Brundle stated

The legend of Max Verstappen ‘dented’ over 2025 struggles

Max Verstappen has established himself as an all-time great in Formula 1. The 27-year-old has shattered multiple records and created history in recent years. However, the current season has shown some chinks in the armor of the Red Bull star. So much so, Martin Brundle believes that this could hamper the Dutchman’s legacy.

Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)
Max Verstappen (via Red Bull)

The reigning world champion is currently struggling to even make it to the podium at every race. Brundle reckoned that such underwhelming results inevitably dent Max Verstappen’s legacy. He pointed out that it’s still quite clear that the 27-year-old is outdriving the car at every race, and getting the best possible results. Though, it has slightly hampered his image in F1. Martin Brundle further highlighted that things will only be tougher for Verstappen since he is now aware that he cannot win the 2025 title.

The legend of Max Verstappen is definitely slightly dented then in comparison to him being out front, clearly outperforming a Red Bull, which is super tricky to drive and then delivering race results where he’s slipping it by Piastri in Imola and being able to sort of lead races in a really difficult car. So, he still needs to be that problem even though he knows he’s not going to win the championship now.

Martin Brundle added

Certainly, Max Verstappen is indeed pushing himself and the car at every race. The Dutch driver leaves no stone unturned in hopes of improving his performance. However, Red Bull’s current state has rendered him useless in the championship fight. The four-time world champion can really just hope to have a better end to the season and come back stronger next year.

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