Red Bull is already considering an early transition to the 2027 car.

      Red Bull is already contemplating an earlier transition to its 2027 car, as Max Verstappen continues to highlight the shortcomings of the current model. Despite consistently achieving podium finishes, Verstappen has been openly critical of the car, while speculation about exit clauses and Red Bull’s efforts to secure his long-term commitment persist. Former F1 chief Bernie Ecclestone informed Blick that bookmakers have placed Verstappen’s odds of winning the championship at 43-1, to which the 95-year-old remarked, "With odds like these, I feel compelled to place a bet again. But unfortunately, Max is not likely to succeed."

      De Telegraaf reporter Erik van Haren commented, "Red Bull owes a huge debt of gratitude to Max Verstappen for continuing with the team." Team principal Laurent Mekies acknowledged that Red Bull may need to soon reduce development of the current car, stating, "At some point, we’ll need to determine how to balance our efforts between this season and the next. I believe this will occur earlier than last year, particularly considering the present regulations. After that, we will reach a final decision." Mekies noted that Red Bull has already implemented an unusually high number of upgrades to recover from a poor start, admitting, "It's hard to envision us sustaining this development pace. However, we still need to determine the best way to make up those remaining three tenths."

      The former Ferrari engineer also recognized that Red Bull has faced challenges with a narrow operating window for several seasons. "We're not saying we want to continue operating within this narrow window for years," Mekies told De Telegraaf. "It’s not that we aren’t listening to Max; we’re just very cautious about the compromises we have to make that impact performance." Technical director Pierre Wache recently acknowledged that Verstappen can sense issues that don’t show up in Red Bull’s data. "Max experiences things we cannot measure with our existing data analysis and sensors in the car," Mekies confirmed. "This stems from his remarkable sensitivity in the car and his technical expertise. I would venture to say that other teams wouldn’t detect the nuances Max feels, even though we can’t see them in the data. That’s Max’s significant advantage, which is why he is the driving force behind this team’s successes."

      However, Verstappen downplayed the importance of continuing to secure podiums with an uncompetitive car, stating, "That’s nice, of course, but I’m not overly excited about it. We’re not here just to make TikToks and have fun; we’re here solely to win." His teammate Isack Hadjar concurred that the car was nearly impossible to control in Hungary. "We didn’t identify anything that made the car drivable," he remarked. Hadjar also expressed frustration about being used strategically to hold up Ferrari and McLaren for Verstappen's benefit. "That was really bothersome," he said. "I wanted to pit either very early or very late, but we stopped at the worst possible time. I don’t like to interfere with the leaders during the race. I understand the reasoning behind it, but I’d prefer to avoid such situations."