Max Verstappen secured another podium for Red Bull at the Italian Grand Prix, but the result owed as much to his aggressive approach in the opening laps as it did to the underlying pace of the RB22. Red Bull was not dramatically slower than its rivals over a race stint at Monza, and Friday had already suggested that its long-run performance was stronger than its single-lap pace. The decisive factor was how quickly Max Verstappen attacked at the start, immediately using overtake mode and the Mercedes slipstream to compensate for the RB22’s weaknesses.
There is one statistic that underlines Max Verstappen’s consistency. Behind the two Mercedes drivers, who have had the benchmark car of the 2026 season, Max Verstappen is tied with Lewis Hamilton for the most podiums this year, with five each. Both have one more than Charles Leclerc. That can be interpreted in two ways: as evidence of Max Verstappen’s ability to maximise his opportunities, but also as a reflection of the chances Ferrari has failed to convert, particularly at circuits that appeared on paper to suit the SF-26.
Max Verstappen had to overcome the Red Bull RB22’s Monza limitations
The FIA has identified Red Bull’s internal combustion engine as the strongest on the grid, although that does not fully reflect the overall performance of the power unit, particularly under regulations in which the electrical component plays such an important role.
Indeed, it had already become clear on Friday that the Red Bull RB22 was struggling in straight-line speed compared with its rivals.
The car had a tendency to bounce and slide, which not only forced the driver to delay getting back on the throttle but also caused more energy than necessary to be consumed under acceleration. On a circuit where available energy had been heavily restricted in qualifying, that became a major disadvantage, particularly for a team that has never hidden its difficulties at tracks where only a limited number of megajoules are available.
The positive news was that these problems became less pronounced over a race distance, when more energy was available. Even on Friday, Liam Lawson had shown encouraging long-run pace in the other RB22. That trend continued on Sunday, although several minor issues affected the race, with Max Verstappen already reporting difficulties with the rear of the car after only a few laps.
Attacking George Russell immediately was key for Max Verstappen
According to Pirelli’s data, the grip difference between the medium and hard compounds was not especially large. Max Verstappen nevertheless exploited the small advantage offered by the medium tyre at the beginning of the race exceptionally well, putting George Russell under pressure and even taking the lead.
This was the key moment in Max Verstappen’s race. He attacked immediately and aggressively attached himself to the leading group, while the cars behind became caught up in battles that cost valuable time, particularly Lewis Hamilton and Oscar Piastri.
“I think it was pretty clear during the race that we just can’t keep up with the deployment of the Mercedes-powered cars, and that, of course, is very tough around a track like Monza. When people fly past you like you’re a turtle. So I was throwing it around the outside under braking to attack, the car was good under braking and that helped. I try to maximise what I can,” Max Verstappen said.
Max Verstappen naturally did not have the pace to remain with the Mercedes cars indefinitely, particularly because of the straight-line speed deficit that had already been evident on Friday. However, forcing his way into the leading group at the beginning provided another significant benefit beyond the slipstream.
Overtake mode gave Max Verstappen a crucial energy boost
Remaining within one second allowed Max Verstappen to unlock an additional half a megajoule of energy through overtake mode. That was particularly valuable given that even during the race the amount of energy Red Bull could recover into the battery was lower than at several other Grands Prix.
“Of course, with the overtake mode it looked promising, but as soon as I got into the lead it was very difficult to defend. And that was a bit of my problem throughout the whole race. Even when there was the VSC, we boxed, we had better tyres, I was overtaking the other cars,” Max Verstappen added.
The same issue could also be viewed from the opposite perspective. When Kimi Antonelli moved into the lead, there was a phase in which Max Verstappen no longer had enough energy available to maintain the pace of the two Mercedes drivers ahead and dropped outside the one-second window.
It was the most difficult phase of his race. Even while Kimi Antonelli and George Russell were fighting each other – and continuing to pull away – Max Verstappen slipped to around two seconds behind. However, the margin over the chasing group, whose drivers were also battling among themselves, allowed him to manage the situation and make his pit stop under the Virtual Safety Car effective.
Even fresher tyres could not solve Red Bull’s straight-line deficit
There was another consequence of Red Bull’s lack of top speed. Overtake mode could help Max Verstappen when he was attacking, but defending without a slipstream or additional boost was far more difficult. That weakness had been apparent throughout the weekend and helps explain why Max Verstappen required several laps to clear the two McLarens even when he had the tyre advantage.
“As soon as the others get the overtake mode, they have more power than us and we can’t defend, even with better tyres. So it took me a little while as well to clear the McLarens,” Max Verstappen explained.
Despite those limitations, Max Verstappen’s fifth podium of the season represented a welcome boost – and something of a surprise – for Red Bull. It came not only after his complaints on Saturday but also immediately after a difficult Zandvoort weekend, where an early accident forced him out of the Dutch Grand Prix.
“For us to be on the podium after a very difficult weekend in Zandvoort, where the car was really not to my liking, is positive,” Max Verstappen said.
Red Bull improved the RB22 significantly from Friday to Saturday
The Italian Grand Prix therefore offered some encouragement after the difficulties Max Verstappen had experienced with the RB22. Red Bull managed to move the car into a much more competitive operating window between Friday and Saturday, while the race pace proved stronger than its outright qualifying performance had initially suggested.
“We managed to make a really good turnaround from Friday to Saturday and the car was definitely in a better window. But we still have several details and areas where we know we need to improve, besides the obvious power deployment on the straights,” Max Verstappen concluded.
For Max Verstappen, the Monza podium was ultimately built around maximising the strengths that were available rather than eliminating the RB22’s weaknesses. Strong braking performance allowed him to attack, the slipstream kept him connected to the Mercedes cars early on, and overtake mode supplied valuable additional energy. Once those advantages disappeared, the Red Bull’s straight-line limitations became much more difficult to hide.
The result nevertheless leaves Max Verstappen with five podium finishes in 2026 as the championship continues, with the latest positions available in the Formula 1 drivers’ standings.
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