After days of speculation he might leave Red Bull for Mercedes, Max Verstappen got a closer look at a Mercedes car than he wanted.
The defending Formula 1 champion’s Austrian Grand Prix lasted less than half a lap as he was knocked out of the race by Mercedes driver and potential future teammate Kimi Antonelli.
“I think we try to do our best always. My mentality doesn’t change. We have won a lot in the past. Sometimes you have to accept that you are not winning, and we just try to do the best we can," Verstappen told British broadcaster Sky Sports.
Asked about what the incident meant for his title defense, he said: “Hopefully then maybe people will not mention it too much any more.”
It followed an eventful week for the four-time champion, who blamed a lack of grip for being off the pace in qualifying and seventh on the grid. Antonelli's teammate George Russell had suggested Thursday Verstappen may be holding talks with Mercedes on a possible future move.
Verstappen remains third in the standings but is 61 points off leader Oscar Piastri.
In past years, Verstappen and Red Bull have produced some of their best performances at the team's home race. It attracts thousands of orange-clad Dutch fans and Verstappen has won at the Red Bull Ring five times.
It was a rare mistake in an otherwise impressive season for 18-year-old Antonelli.
He braked late, locked his rear wheels and dived deep into a tight right-hand corner, spinning Verstappen round and ending both of their chances.
"I’m out, I got hit like crazy," Verstappen told Red Bull over the radio. Verstappen waved to the crowd as his car was lifted away by a tractor and chatted with Antonelli as they walked away together.
It was the first time Verstappen failed to score any points in a race in more than a year, since the Australian Grand Prix in March 2024. It ended a week of struggles at a track where he's won five times in F1, and capped a disastrous home Grand Prix for Red Bull.
Rounding out a nightmare home race for Red Bull, Yuki Tsunoda hit Alpine's Franco Colapinto while fighting for 13th place and had to pit for a replacement front wing. The Japanese driver finished last and hasn't scored a point in four races.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
