Yesterday at 07:25
2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button has ruled Max Verstappen out
of this season's title race, but described the Dutchman as
"unbelievable". The four-time world champion has been magical in
the difficult RB21 this year, a car which has been untameable in
the hands of both Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda. Verstappen is
responsible for all but seven of Red Bull's points in 2025,
highlighting his superiority in the Milton Keynes-based outfit.
Despite performing wonders for the Austrian camp, he has been
unable to consistently challenge the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri
and Lando Norris, resulting in a 69-point deficit. As a result,
Button does not see the 27-year-old winning a fifth consecutive
championship, especially as "one bad race" would put him
considerably further behind. "I think it's really difficult for
Max," Button told F1 . "If Max has one bad race, like he did in
Austria, that's a lot of points for him to make up in a car that is
not as good as the McLaren. "You'd have to say it's a two-horse
race at the moment, but Max has had it his way for a few years, and
what he's doing with that car is just unbelievable. "When you put
so many drivers in the same car and they are nowhere near him it
proves what a talent he is, and what he's able to do with a
difficult car." Where will Verstappen be in 2026? Due to Red Bull's
current performance struggles, Verstappen has been heavily linked
with a move to Mercedes. Whether the departure of Christian Horner
increases the chances of Verstappen staying remains to be seen,
although there is an element of risk moving team ahead of the new
regulations. As noted by Button, nobody knows what the pecking
order will be next season, meaning the reigning world champion
would be taking a gamble if he does switch. "What's he going to do
next year? I don't know," added the Briton. "I think it's
interesting that we don't know what the best option is. I'm sure he
doesn't know either right now. "You can kind of see the future a
little bit, because you can see what the car's doing in the wind
tunnel, you can see what the power output is, but you don't know
what other teams are doing. "They might say they're doing better,
but who knows? So, it's a tricky decision for him and, whatever he
chooses, I think it's going to be an exciting season in 2026 –
whatever car he's in."
