Max Verstappen’s development as a driver has been stymied by a number of retirements in the 2017 Formula One season.

Expectations were high for the 19-year-old following his breakout campaign in 2016, where he became the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix. However, a series of issues with his Red Bull car have allowed him to finish only five races to date in the current term, with his best result coming at the Chinese Grand Prix where he came in third.

Red Bull were Mercedes’ closest challengers in the Constructors’ Championship last term, and would have had ambitions of breaking their dominance at the top of the sport. However, car problems for Verstappen, along with team-mate Daniel Ricciardo, have allowed Ferrari to surpass them, with the team well off the pace in the standings. As a result, they are backed in the latest F1 betting odds at 1000/1 to overhaul the German team and its Italian rivals in the remaining races of the season, which would be a remarkable achievement, to say the least.

Verstappen has been touted with a potential move to Ferrari and that could be hastened should his progress with Red Bull continue to be limited by technical issues. The Dutchman had an immediate breakthrough after being elevated to the team from Toro Rosso, where he had performed above expectations in his short career. He delivered a sensational drive at the Spanish Grand Prix to win the meet, smashing almost every record in the book in terms of success at such a young age, removing Sebastian Vettel’s records.

Verstappen maintained his form throughout the campaign, earning back-to-back second-place finishes in Austria and Great Britain, while he repeated the feat later in the term in Japan and Malaysia. Finishing fifth in the Drivers’ Championship in only his second season highlighted his quality and he was expected to kick on from his initial success and become a perennial fixture on the podium in 2017.

The Dutchman made a steady start to the season, although it was clear from the off that the Red Bull car lacked the pace to compete with Mercedes and Ferrari at the Australian Grand Prix, finishing fifth in the opening meet of the term. He followed that up with a stronger performance in the Chinese Grand Prix after a poor qualifying session saw him begin the race 16th on the grid. However, Verstappen was able to move through the field with ease to claim third place ahead of Ricciardo.

The issues with the car began in Bahrain, with a brake failure forcing him out of the meet by lap 11, while his return to Spain ended in disaster on the opening lap as a collision with Kimi Raikkonen and Valtteri Bottas forced him and the Maranello driver to retire. A fifth-place finish in Monaco provided light relief, but his issues returned in Canada suffering electrical issues early in the race. In the tough conditions in Azerbaijan, an oil pressure problem forced him out of the drama once again with only 12 laps completed.

Verstappen is well off the pace in the Drivers’ Championship and his frustration could be reaching breaking point much like Lewis Hamilton during his final days with McLaren. His future at Red Bull could well depend on his success towards the end of the campaign.