Max Verstappen believes Kimi Antonelli should simply continue doing what has taken him to a commanding position in the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship, praising the Mercedes driver’s speed, confidence and support network after his eighth victory of the season in Madrid. Verstappen finished second at the Madring but admitted he did not have the race pace of either Antonelli or Lando Norris.
The result gave Verstappen his sixth Grand Prix podium of the season and represented another case of Red Bull extracting more from the RB22 than its outright competitiveness might have suggested. Antonelli, meanwhile, extended his championship advantage over George Russell to 81 points as his remarkable second Formula 1 season continued.
Max Verstappen admits he could not match Antonelli or Norris in Madrid
For Verstappen, second place was effectively the maximum available from a difficult Spanish Grand Prix in which the four-time Formula 1 world champion also benefited from the unfortunate timing of the Virtual Safety Car for Norris.
“I maximised the result, I was a little bit lucky,” Max Verstappen said after the Madrid Grand Prix. “It was a bit of an unfortunate situation for Lando and I definitely didn’t have his pace or Kimi’s.”
“It’s great to be on the podium, but we’re still lacking a little bit to really fight for the win. It looked like we were because Kimi was being held up by Charles, but as soon as he had clean air he drove away and I had Lando behind me. But if you drive in the middle of the track around here, you can’t overtake.”
The result reflected Red Bull’s wider 2026 situation. Verstappen has repeatedly managed strong finishes despite an RB22 that has not consistently been capable of matching the leading Mercedes, with his long-term Red Bull future secured through 2030 as the team works to restore its competitiveness.
Verstappen explains first-lap Lewis Hamilton incident
Although the 57-lap race at the Madring produced relatively little overtaking, Verstappen faced several complications in the opening kilometres. He cut the chicane on lap one before Red Bull instructed him to give the position back to Lewis Hamilton.
Verstappen insisted that remaining on the circuit would have led to contact after Hamilton struck the kerb during their battle.
“If I had stayed on the track, I would have had damage. Lewis jumped over the kerb and forced me off the track, otherwise we would definitely have made contact and my race could have been over at Turn 2,” Max Verstappen explained.
The situation became particularly costly because Verstappen had to slow considerably to return the place to Hamilton. By that stage, Kimi Antonelli had already passed the Ferrari, meaning the Mercedes driver also went through while Verstappen waited to restore the order.
Hamilton’s race subsequently deteriorated because of a serious braking problem before Ferrari retired the car. The cause of Lewis Hamilton’s Madrid brake failure became another major talking point after the race.
Verstappen understands Norris frustration over Madrid VSC
The Virtual Safety Car was another central theme after the race. Its timing effectively removed Norris from the lead battle after the McLaren driver had been setting the strongest pace at the front, while Antonelli and Verstappen were able to make their stops under neutralised conditions.
Verstappen acknowledged just how painful the outcome was for Norris, but also pointed out that he has experienced both sides of similar situations during his career.
“I’ve won and lost races because of the VSC and today it is extremely painful for him. It’s not nice at all, but unfortunately I think a lot of drivers have experienced that sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.”
“Probably looking to the future, it can be improved and we’ll discuss it in the next briefing, but it’s something that has happened before in the past.”
The Madrid race has already intensified discussion around whether Formula 1’s Virtual Safety Car rules should be reviewed to reduce the potential sporting advantage or disadvantage created purely by the moment at which a neutralisation begins and ends.
Red Bull still needs stronger package to fight for F1 wins
For Red Bull, second place remains a result to welcome given that the current package is not consistently competitive enough to fight for victories on outright performance.
“Sometimes we try to benefit a little from other people’s misfortune, but we are also trying to maximise the results or perhaps slightly overperform, which is positive,” Max Verstappen said.
“Now we need to work on making our overall package a little stronger so that we can genuinely be in the fight for the win.”
The Madrid podium therefore represented another example of Verstappen maximising what was available rather than evidence that Red Bull has fully closed the performance deficit to Mercedes and McLaren.
Max Verstappen praises Kimi Antonelli’s F1 title charge
Antonelli finds himself in a very different position. The Mercedes driver has eight victories and an 81-point championship advantage over his nearest challenger, George Russell, putting him firmly in control of the title fight. His latest records and milestones have continued to accumulate, with the Madrid victory adding another remarkable achievement to his 2026 season.
Asked how the 20-year-old should approach the closing stages of the championship, Verstappen saw little reason for him to change anything.
“Kimi just needs to keep doing what he is doing. He’s doing it really well,” Max Verstappen said. “He shouldn’t stress too much, which I don’t think he is doing.”
“He is delivering results and getting more and more experience. He is still young and still very early in his career, but he is flying, he has good people around him and everything is working well for him.”
Antonelli’s advantage can be seen in the latest Formula 1 drivers’ standings, while Verstappen’s assessment underlines how quickly the Italian has gone from one of the sport’s leading young prospects to the clear benchmark of the 2026 championship.
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