A historical day in F1: Max Verstappen can truly no longer win the championship

For tens of thousands of people, that was the harsh reality on Sunday, after Verstappen was bumped off the track at full speed by Andrea Kimi Antonelli in Turn 3 already on Lap 1. It must have been disappointing for the Orange Army, although it could also be seen as witnessing a historical moment in Formula 1.

This 29 June was the day Verstappen definitively had to cross out his - already limited - title aspirations. "The deficit is almost impossible to recover from. So unless something extraordinary happens, we must assume that the world championship is over," said Helmut Marko, the external advisor of Red Bull.

Team principal Christian Horner expressed similar sentiments. But whereas the team's leadership may have been surprised, Verstappen was not at all. He had long accepted that this day would eventually come, which is why he was not particularly disappointed.

Afterwards, he spoke in a realistic way to the international press - including GPblog - about how he didn't blame Andrea Kimi Antonelli for the crash that ended the race for both of them, how it could happen to anyone, and especially that he hadn't been thinking about the championship for some time.

How could it have been otherwise, looking at the incredible speed both McLarens had in Austria. It was Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri who decided the victory amongst themselves, and really no one could get close to the McLaren duo. Had Verstappen been able to compete, he probably would have been relegated to a supporting role as well.

This made the 'DNF' feel less painful than it would have a few years ago. With the RB21, it's simply about finishing the season, sometimes with a podium finish or perhaps a victory. But most often it will be playing a supporting role, behind those dreaded McLarens.

All eyes are going to be on that British team, where an internal battle will determine who may call themselves the best F1 driver in the world in 2025. If the first rounds of the race in Spielberg are any indication of what is to come, beautiful Grands Prix await – with two drivers not willing to give each other an inch of space.