Marko dismisses the possibility of undoing the Tsunoda-Lawson exchange.

      "A driver change no longer seems logical."

      Max Verstappen and George Russell's future prospects will remain unclear during the British GP. Toto Wolff firmly stated on Sunday that Mercedes fans should not expect any 2026 driver announcements this weekend at Silverstone. The home race for Red Bull in Austria was rife with speculation about escalating discussions between Verstappen and Wolff. Dr. Helmut Marko left the Red Bull Ring reiterating his usual statement: "There is a contract until 2028," he emphasized, adding, "It includes performance-related exit clauses. As things stand, there is no reason to believe that the contract won't be honored."

      While Verstappen currently holds P3 in the drivers' championship, there are suggestions that he could drop to P4 behind Mercedes' Russell and still maintain his existing contract. A more pressing concern for Red Bull is that all of Verstappen’s recent teammates—Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and now the increasingly troubled Yuki Tsunoda—have struggled to contribute to the team’s constructors’ championship effort. Tsunoda, who might leave the Red Bull family to join Honda after this season, departed the paddock on Sunday expressing uncertainty about his performance: "I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong." Marko noted, "Yuki currently lacks confidence. He tries overtaking moves but ends up colliding with other drivers. We need to find a way to stabilize his performance, but time is limited as the next race is just a week away."

      Lawson was removed from the same position after only two races this season but has begun to show promise with the junior team, Racing Bulls. Could the New Zealander get another shot with Red Bull in 2025? Marko dismissed the idea of a driver change, asserting that it no longer makes sense and defended the decision to replace Lawson with Tsunoda. "Certainly, because Lawson was also completely worn out," remarked the Austrian. "He needed several races to recover; now he has skillfully defended sixth place against Fernando Alonso with a one-stop strategy. I believe he wouldn’t have been able to keep up with Max either."

      Regarding Tsunoda, Marko mentioned the team will provide support to help him recover. "He also suffered that dangerous crash in Imola," the 82-year-old reminded. "It's now a series of unfortunate events, but he does have the speed, as shown in practice sessions. However, the situation changes under pressure." Many believe Red Bull is now experiencing the downsides of aggressively pursuing Verstappen's preferred car development direction, leading to a vehicle that is nearly impossible for other drivers to manage. Team principal Christian Horner disagrees, maintaining that while the 2025 Red Bull may be "difficult," it isn't insurmountable. "The car has evolved in a specific way in recent years," he admitted, "but now we need to work on rebuilding Yuki’s confidence for Silverstone. We'll explore how to support him, but there is a significant difference between the two cars. The questions you're posing to me, we're also addressing internally."