Verstappen indicates that Red Bull-Ford remains at a disadvantage.

      "We are caught off guard as a team."

      Max Verstappen stated that Red Bull is still in discussions with the FIA regarding the ADUO engine system after the governing body determined twice that Red Bull-Ford has the benchmark combustion engine in Formula 1. The initial ADUO review, conducted after the early-season evaluation, placed Red Bull-Ford at the top, denying it any additional homologation opportunities, while Mercedes received one extra upgrade opportunity, and Ferrari, Honda, and Audi were granted two. The FIA’s second review, completed after Hungary, once again recognized Red Bull-Ford as the benchmark and did not award further homologations to any manufacturer. Consequently, Red Bull remains excluded from the ADUO concessions following both assessments, even though Verstappen and the team continue to contend that the overall Red Bull-Ford power unit is not truly the most powerful package. "We are caught off guard as a team and we don’t share that view," Verstappen mentioned at Monza. "We are still in discussions with the FIA regarding next year. We will see what develops from that." He also cautioned that Monza could further highlight the disadvantage as competing manufacturers introduce upgrades. "Our competitors are currently bringing their engine upgrades to their cars," Verstappen noted. "We were already at a disadvantage before. I don’t anticipate this changing much for now." Meanwhile, Verstappen disclosed how unwell he had been during his challenging weekend in Zandvoort, where he crashed significantly on the opening lap. "I was really sick," he confessed. "When you're so ill, you value it much more when you're completely recovered. The entire weekend in Zandvoort was chaotic." "I didn't feel well for a few days after Zandvoort. It has been a long while since I've felt like this." He mentioned that the impact from the crash caused no lasting issues thanks to the SAFER barrier. "It was my first time hitting that SAFER wall," he said. "It performed its job quite effectively."