The Red Bull empire has decided that the most urgent matter at hand is not choosing which junior driver will be next to have their soul slowly crushed by Max Verstappen, but rather keeping the Dutch juggernaut in the title fight. The decision on who will sit in the second Red Bull cockpit in 2026 has been postponed until after Abu Dhabi, or, as Red Bull puts it, ‘when the trophy cabinet stops shaking from champagne corks’.
Verstappen’s surprise podium finish in Mexico has given the team some continued hope and a convenient excuse to avoid answering awkward questions about the future posed by eager journalists. After a qualifying session that was more mid-table than megastar, the four-time world champion fought his way to third place, reminding everyone that even when Red Bull’s car appears vulnerable, Max refuses to be.
Helmut Marko, the oracle of chaos, confirmed to Sky that all plans are ‘being postponed’. This includes the decision about Verstappen’s 2026 sidekick and the Racing Bulls lineup. Apparently, the entire organisation must now focus all its energy on the World Championship, leaving no bandwidth for such trivialities as deciding who will be paid to hold Max’s water bottle next year.
The waiting room of despair
Yuki Tsunoda, Liam Lawson, Isack Hadjar and Arvid Lindblad are currently waiting in Red Bull’s metaphorical waiting room, hoping that the receptionist will eventually call their name.
The once imminent decision has been replaced by a calendar reminder reading ‘Ask Helmut after Abu Dhabi, if he’s in a good mood’.
In the meantime, the hopefuls must continue to smile politely while Max Verstappen’s fifth world title either materialises or evaporates before their eyes. The real challenge isn’t beating each other; it’s staying sane while Red Bull continues its favourite pastime: emotional roulette.
Marko’s declaration that ‘everything is being postponed’ should probably come with a health warning for the junior programme. The last time Red Bull delayed decisions for this long, half of the drivers involved ended up commentating for F1 TV.
The orange glow of obsession
Meanwhile, the Verstappen camp is in full siege mode. Every espresso shot in Milton Keynes is reportedly being brewed with extra intensity, and the team’s strategy meetings now include mandatory screenings of The Last Dance. Red Bull’s focus on winning the championship is so intense that one engineer was reportedly told to postpone his wedding until after it was settled.
Marko’s comments underline the pressure. ‘Our chances are intact,’ he insists, though his tone carries the faint desperation of a man who has seen McLaren suddenly remember how to build a fast car. Lando Norris, the new points leader, has clearly disrupted Red Bull’s carefully choreographed victory dance, and McLaren’s orange cars have begun haunting Milton Keynes like persistent trick-or-treaters.
Marko has even expressed hope that McLaren’s drivers will ‘continue to adhere to their fairness rule’, which roughly translates as: “Oscar, please don’t crash into Lando unless it helps Max.”
McLaren’s resurgence has transformed what was once a Red Bull procession into a genuine championship again, something that must surely confuse the energy drink strategists, who prefer their victories to be uncontested.
Mexican GP: Verstappen furious as Norris takes lead of championship
The postponed prophecy
If all goes to plan, Verstappen will leave Abu Dhabi with his fifth title, Marko will emerge from his lair smirking, and one lucky young driver will receive the fabled phone call. “Pack your bags, kid, you’re Max’s new teammate. Try not to cry too much.”
However, if Norris maintains his current form, Red Bull’s delayed decision may appear less like a strategy and more like a smokescreen. After all, it’s easier to delay announcing the next lamb to the slaughter when the butcher’s knife is still busy.
Ultimately, Red Bull’s latest move is pure theatre, part superstition, part strategy and entirely absurd. The paddock watches, the juniors simmer, and Verstappen continues to chase that elusive fifth title while pretending not to notice the chaos brewing behind him.
At Red Bull, the focus is indeed on the Title, at least until someone remembers that they also need a second driver.
MORE F1 NEWS – Piastri mystery leads to conspiracy theories
One race after the summer break, Oscar Piastri was on top of the Formula One world. He had broken the resistance of the current world champion and his team mate’s DNF in Zandvoort left him an almost unassailable 34 points clear of Lando Norris.
Given that McLaren had won twelve of the first fifteen Grand Prix, it was expected this form would continue with both drivers trading 1-2’s to the end of the season,. Meaning without a DNF for Piastri it would be the Australian who claimed his maiden F1 drivers’ championship.
Just four races later and the wheels have fallen from Oscar’s racing wagon. Crashes and false starts in Baku began his demise then in Singapore he was dominated by his team mate and failed to make the podium.
Piastri scrapes through to Q3
The US GP which is a low grip circuit proved tough for Piastri, again with him trailing Norris for most of there weekend finishing just fifth. Now in Mexica, where the grip is also low, the young McLaren driver has had a nightmare in qualifying and will start the race in seventh place, due to a one position promotion due to Carlos Sainz grid drop.
His only saving grace is Verstappen who looked the most dangerous in terms of the title challenge – and was the bookies favourite – is having a tough weekend of his own. He and the team failed to nail the ride height of his RB21 and he is set for a long and difficult afternoon trying to keep his tyres alive.
TJ13 predicted this would be a rough weekend for Oscar, although the gap to his team mate is remarkably large. Oscar had an extra practice session over Verstappen and Norris who gave their cars in FP1 to junior drivers. Yet despite the extra time to fine tune his setup, Piastri was 6/10ths behind his team mate in FP2 and roughly the same margin behind in FP3.
Come qualifying, Oscar almost missed out on Q3 such was his lack of performance, but he pipped Yuki Tsunoda by 0.079 seconds to survive although Q3 was to prove little better. His P8 classification (before grid drops) was again 0.6 seconds behind his pole…READ MORE ON THIS STORY
Craig Alderson is Senior Editor at TJ13, where Craig oversees newsroom operations and coordinates editorial output across the site. With a background in online sports reporting and motorsport magazine editing, he plays a key role in maintaining consistency, speed, and accuracy in TJ13’s coverage.
During race weekends, Craig acts as desk lead, directing contributors, prioritising breaking stories, and ensuring timely publication across a fast-moving news cycle.
Craig’s work focuses heavily on real-time developments in the paddock, including team updates, regulatory decisions, and emerging controversies. This role requires a detailed understanding of Formula 1’s operational flow, from practice sessions through to race-day strategy and post-race fallout.
With experience managing editorial teams, Craig ensures that TJ13 delivers structured, reliable coverage while maintaining the site’s distinctive voice.
Craig has a particular interest in how information moves within the paddock environment, and how rapidly developing stories can be accurately translated into clear, accessible reporting for readers.
The man’s a legend!! He so DESERVES to win his fifth title in a row, and it’s wonderful to watch him never giving up