Red Bull faces crucial ‘exam’ at two upcoming races that could determine the fate of Max Verstappen’s title defence

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Max Verstappen is attempting to win a fifth title in Formula 1, but his defence has got off to a rough start with Red Bull in 2025.

Their car is not as fast as McLaren’s, and rivals have now closed in on their dominant gap from the 2023 season, after Red Bull introduced upgrades that took them in the wrong development direction.

Verstappen has also been caught up in incidents on track, which have now put him one race away from an automatic ban, although his first set of points on his superlicence are set to expire at the end of June.

Frustrations in the Verstappen camp are starting to show, mainly in the press conferences in Canada when the Dutchman said he would not take any more questions on the matter.

Verstappen also ended an interview with Ted Kravitz early because he felt the Sky Sports presenter singled out a team member for criticism.

Red Bull brought upgrades to their car in Imola and the next races will provide a key ‘exam’, according to chief engineer Paul Monaghan, when speaking to RacingNews365.nl.

Red Bull faces important ‘exam’ at the Austrian and British Grands Prix

Red Bull’s RB21 has proven to be a difficult car to drive, as evidenced by the performances from Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson in the second car.

Verstappen is scoring the bulk of the points for the team, leading to them now writing off winning the Constructors’ Championship and solely focusing on the Drivers’ title.

The mix of upcoming tracks will provide a crucial test for the team, according to Monaghan, and will decide the fate of Verstappen’s title defence.

“Silverstone and maybe also the Red Bull Ring, if it’s really hot there, will show where we are now in terms of long runs compared to the competition. Although everyone can of course change the car in the meantime,” said Monaghan.

“Tyre management is an area to continue working on. As usual, the ‘exam’ on Sunday afternoon will tell us whether we are right, wrong or somewhere in between.”

Max Verstappen could stay in the title picture

The race in Canada showed that Verstappen is not out of the running entirely, especially as the Dutchman finished in second place.

Lando Norris also dropped several points after colliding with Oscar Piastri, and a few more similar incidents could bring Verstappen back into the running.

The Dutchman could also regain points at unpredictable races before the summer break, at circuits such as Silverstone and Spa Francorchamps.

There is still all to play for after 10 races, but Verstappen will need to ensure that he capitalises to stay in the hunt.