Max Verstappen left the Austrian Grand Prix with plenty of reasons to smile after securing Red Bull’s strongest result of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The four-time World Champion finished second at the Red Bull Ring, praising the team’s improved race pace and the significant step forward delivered by its latest upgrade package.
Red Bull achieves its best result of 2026
For only the second time this season, following the Canadian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen returned Red Bull to the Formula 1 podium. Doing so at the team’s home event made the achievement even more meaningful.
At the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg, the Dutch driver crossed the finish line in second place, splitting the two Mercedes cars of race winner George Russell and third-placed Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The result matches Red Bull’s best finish of the 2026 campaign and provides further evidence that the team’s latest developments are moving the RB26 in the right direction.
Verstappen pleased with Red Bull’s progress
It was an encouraging Sunday for the four-time World Champion, who was satisfied not only with the final result—achieved after an entertaining on-track battle with Lewis Hamilton—but also with the performance shown by Red Bull throughout the race.
The Austrian Grand Prix marked the debut of a significant upgrade package for Red Bull, and Verstappen believes the improvements immediately translated into stronger race pace.
“Am I surprised by our race pace? Can I still fight for the championship? I don’t think it’s necessary to send that kind of message,” Verstappen told Sky Sport F1. “As long as the car is capable of doing it, I’ll be there. This is the first time this season that we’ve been at the front and genuinely able to fight for victory because our race pace was better than we expected. Everything seemed to work well, we had some great battles at the front, and it was the first time we’ve come so close to winning. It was a positive race with a positive result.”
Qualifying controversy remains
Verstappen also reflected on the dramatic conclusion to qualifying, when his crash in the closing moments of Q3 sparked debate over the yellow flag procedure and George Russell’s pole position, which came shortly after the Red Bull driver hit the barriers.
“In my opinion, there should have been double yellow flags and a red flag, absolutely,” Verstappen explained. “Once I realized there had been an accident, I was surprised that only a single yellow flag was shown. I really didn’t understand it.”
Despite that disappointment on Saturday, Verstappen recovered brilliantly on race day, giving Red Bull its most competitive weekend of the season and strengthening confidence that the team can now challenge Mercedes more consistently in the races ahead.
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