Red Bull fears possible penalties against the Dutch driver in Canada. If that happens, Max could miss the Austrian GP — the team’s home race. Helmut Marko’s words on Verstappen
Max Verstappen is at real risk of missing the Austrian Grand Prix. The threat is serious, and Red Bull is deeply concerned. The team, founded by Austrian entrepreneur Dietrich Mateschitz, contests its home race at the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, making the potential absence of their star driver a major worry.
Following the controversial collision with George Russell in Spain — which earned him a 10-second penalty and 3 penalty points — Verstappen now sits at 11 penalty points on his F1 Super Licence. Just one point away from the 12-point threshold that triggers a one-race suspension, as per FIA sporting regulations. This has put the team on high alert.
Just one point away from a ban — Marko’s concern grows
There is, however, a sliver of good news for Red Bull and Verstappen. Much will depend on the Dutchman’s conduct in Montréal and, potentially, Spielberg. If he avoids further infractions during these two Grands Prix, 2 of his current 11 penalty points will expire on June 30. In the best-case scenario, the four-time World Champion would be left with 9 points from that date onward.
Commenting on the delicate situation — as he often does during high-pressure moments — Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko spoke to speedweek.com:
“Max must not do anything wrong over the next two race weekends“.
He added regarding team instructions:
“Of course, we’ve told him not to do anything reckless. It would be a disaster if he couldn’t race in Austria, but we don’t expect that to happen. Max doesn’t make mistakes in every race. The first penalty points will expire after Austria.”
Photo: Oracle Red Bull Racing