Verstappen Suffers a Blow in Austin He Hasn’t Experienced Since 2020

Max Verstappen can no longer become world champion in 2026 after the United States Grand Prix. With five races remaining, the Red Bull Racing driver is mathematically out of contention, something that had not happened to him this early in an F1 season since 2020.Verstappen finished third on Sunday at the Circuit of the Americas, behind race winner Kimi Antonelli and Charles Leclerc. The Dutchman scored 15 points, but saw his deficit to Antonelli grow further. The Mercedes driver claimed his ninth victory of the season, taking his total to 365 points, compared with Verstappen’s 236. With five Grands Prix remaining, the gap stands at 129 points, with only a maximum of 125 still available. Even if Verstappen wins every remaining race and Antonelli scores no more points, he would still fall four points short.Red Bull unable to close the gap to MercedesIn Austin, Verstappen qualified second behind Antonelli. He lost ground at the start, then fought his way back up the order during the race. He encountered several issues with his Red Bull but managed to hold on to third place. Meanwhile, Antonelli drove to a convincing victory, crossing the finish line more than thirteen seconds ahead of Leclerc. Verstappen finished over seventeen seconds behind the Mercedes driver.The gap between the two drivers has built up over the course of the season. Mercedes made a strong start to the new era of significantly revised technical regulations, while Red Bull needed time to further develop its power unit and the RB22. In the early months, Verstappen regularly had to settle for results outside the podium places. The progress made later in the season brought him wins, but Antonelli continued to score points and extend his lead.When Verstappen was last out of contention before the final raceVerstappen was also out of contention before the final races in 2020. Lewis Hamilton secured his seventh world title that year at the Turkish Grand Prix, with three races still to go. Verstappen was driving for Red Bull with a Honda engine at the time and, despite his victory at Silverstone and several podium finishes, could not match the dominant Mercedes.His position changed completely a year later. In 2021, Verstappen battled Hamilton for the world title right down to the final lap in Abu Dhabi, beginning a run of four championships. He clinched the title well before the end of the season in both 2022 and 2023, then became world champion again in 2024 despite Red Bull’s reduced dominance. In 2025, he remained in the title fight until the final race. He won the season finale in Abu Dhabi, but lost the championship to Lando Norris by just two points.The situation is different in 2026. With two wins and recent podium finishes, Verstappen has shown that he can still win races, but Red Bull does not have a car that enabled him to fight for the title throughout the season. Antonelli capitalised on Mercedes’ strength, winning nine of the 19 Grands Prix held so far. With 365 points, he has now scored more than one and a half times as many points as Verstappen.Verstappen can still finish secondAlthough the world title is out of reach, Verstappen still has a tangible target for the remaining races. He is fourth in the championship, six points behind George Russell and five behind Lewis Hamilton. Second place is therefore still within reach, while Charles Leclerc, on 233 points, is also close behind.For Red Bull, the rest of the season is also about further developing the RB22. The team has managed to reduce the gap to its rivals over the course of the year, but its performance still varies from circuit to circuit. The wins in Malaysia and Singapore, along with the podium in Austin, show that Verstappen is now back in contention at the front. However, the championship was already out of reach this year, even with a strong end-of-season charge.After five seasons in which Verstappen remained in the world title fight until the final stages of the championship, his campaign is now over early. His third place in Austin gave him another podium, but also made it clear just how many points Red Bull had lost in the opening months under the new regulations. Verstappen’s remaining target is the battle for second place, while Red Bull must focus on closing the gap ahead of 2027.