Red Bull asked “what are you left with?” as Max Verstappen DNF exposes major flaw

Sky Sports F1 presenter Ted Kravitz has issued a stark warning to Red Bull following Max Verstappen’s DNF at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Verstappen’s race at the Red Bull Ring ended on the opening lap after he was crashed out of the race by Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli misjudged his braking into Turn 3, taking both drivers out of the race on Lap 1.

Red Bull left their home race with no points on the board as Yuki Tsunoda endured a shocker.

Tsunoda was lapped twice and received a 10-second time penalty for colliding with Franco Colpainto.

After the race, Kravitz said that without Verstappen, the team is left with “nobody” capable of handling their challenging car.

Kravitz raised concerns about Red Bull’s prospects long term without Verstappen.

“What happens when Max Verstappen is bundled out of the race by Kimi Antonelli at the start? Well, they have nobody, it seems, in the other car. So this second Red Bull is near-undriveable,” Kravitz said in his post-race notebook.

“I would imagine it is identical to the other Red Bull, but no one can drive it. So it's not Yuki Tsunoda's fault, it wasn't Liam Lawson's, or Sergio Perez's fault. It wasn't Daniel Ricciardo's fault. It wasn't any of it. It's the car.”

Verstappen future in the spotlight

Kravitz’s comments are poignant given there’s speculation surrounding Verstappen’s future.

Verstappen has been linked with a potential switch to Mercedes.

George Russell revealed that conversations are ongoing between Mercedes and the Verstappen camp.

Verstappen has insisted that he’s happy at Red Bull but it’s understood he has an exit clause in his contract.

Kravitz explained that Austria was a worrying glimpse of the future without Verstappen for Red Bull.

“It's this car that's set up and built, and the way it is, it's only drivable by one person,” Kravitz added.

“Now, that's OK, I guess, if that one person is Max Verstappen, and he's so good, he's going to try and get a fifth world championship in a row, having got four in a row direction these cars are making.

“But if Max Verstappen isn't driving your car because he goes out at the beginning or because he's not in the team anymore, which a lot have been speaking about, then what are you left with? You're left with an undriveable car that nobody can score any points in.”