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% |
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