Verstappen believes that winning both F1 titles is not a realistic goal with Red Bull’s formidable performance.

George Russell cautioned that “neither championship is achievable” after Red Bull transformed their previously dominant Formula 1 car “into an impressive performer”.

Struggling to secure a qualifying position higher than seventh on Saturday, Verstappen made minimal progress on Sunday, managing to move up just one spot ahead to finish sixth, ahead of Mercedes driver George Russell.

The gap to the race winner was particularly significant, with Verstappen conceding nearly 38 seconds to the victorious Charles Leclerc from Ferrari and over 30 seconds to his title rival Lando Norris, who finished in third place.

With Oscar Piastri securing second place and outperforming his teammate Norris, McLaren has further diminished Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ championship, closing the gap to just eight points.

Verstappen’s 62-point advantage over Norris in the drivers’ standings won’t suffice, considering Red Bull has yet to resolve its persistent balance issues that have been affecting its performance since May and are now causing problems against stronger competitors.

Verstappen straightforwardly expressed that both championships are currently out of reach.

Verstappen emphasized the need for significant changes to the car, highlighting the dramatic shift from a dominant car to an unmanageable one within a span of six to eight months. This drastic change is perplexing, and the team must thoroughly reassess the car’s design.

When questioned about Norris not winning despite starting in pole position, he answered that while it could be seen as a positive outcome, he prefers not to view it that way in terms of the championship.

We need to move on from our current circumstances, and the past few days, including today and the entire weekend, have been very unfortunate.

“We were not fast enough.” The brief six-second pitstop caused me to lose some time. I wasn’t able to race at full capacity due to a minor engine problem throughout most of the event.

In terms of strategy, we could have put forth more effort to be more involved in the fight. We lacked strength in many areas over the weekend.

Red Bull conducted critical discussions on Saturday to discuss the adjustments needed for its RB20 in the upcoming weeks. Verstappen believes he has already expressed his concerns about his car’s handling multiple times.

“It was evident to all what needed to be done – the challenge now is to reverse the situation,” he elaborated.