Helmut Marko, who kept faith in Max Verstappen's F1 drivers' title chances long after the Dutchman did, has ruled him out of the championship fight for the year.
Despite it still being mathematically possible for Verstappen to land a record-equaling fifth consecutive crown, Red Bull advisor Marko is adamant it is not on the cards.
With 14 of the 24 rounds already run, the 27-year-old heads into the summer shutdown 97 points adrift of Oscar Piastri in the championship hunt.
Therefore, Verstappen will have to outscore the Australian by just under 10 points per round for the remainder of the campaign.
And that is not factoring in his McLaren team-mate Lando Norris, who is 88 points ahead of the 65-time grand prix winner.
As such, it is perhaps not surprising that over three-quarters of F1 fans agreed with Marko's assessment of the situation in a recent poll by RacingNews365, believing Verstappen to no longer be a factor in the championship equation.
Check out the full results from the latest poll by RacingNews365 below. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
Is Helmut Marko correct to rule out Max Verstappen F1 title defence?
| Answer | Share of vote |
|---|---|
| Yes - Verstappen is too far behind now, so all attention must be on 2026 | 76.75% |
| No - As long as there is a mathematical chance, you've got to go for it | 20.88% |
| Not sure | 2.37% |
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on last weekend's F1 Hungarian Grand Prix! McLaren's interesting control over its drivers is discussed, as is the current struggle being endured by Lewis Hamilton.
Rather watch the podcast? Click here!
Get the latest F1 news from RacingNews365 directly in your Google feed! Click on the link below and you’ll see your favourite F1 website appearing even more often. That way, you’ll never miss any news, analyses, interviews, or exclusives.
Follow RacingNews365 on GoogleMost read
In this article
Never miss a thing from the Formula 1 season! Add the 2026 F1 schedule to your calendar at the touch of a button. Subscribe below and put the dates and times of every race directly on your PC or smartphone, so you don't miss a second from the new season.
Download the F1 calendar Download the F1 calendar
A variant with just the race and qualifying is also available.
Click here to download it..
Join the conversation!