Max Verstappen has admitted that reaching second place in the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship has come as a major surprise following Red Bull’s difficult start to the season. The four-time world champion has benefited from a remarkable turnaround in the team’s competitiveness, but insists that his primary objective remains unchanged: winning as many races as possible.
While Andrea Kimi Antonelli was making history by bringing the Formula 1 world title back to Italy after 73 years, Verstappen claimed his third Grand Prix victory of the season and moved into second place in the Drivers’ Championship standings. The result confirmed Red Bull’s upward trajectory, offering encouraging signs not only for the remaining races of 2026 but also ahead of the 2027 season.
Formula 1 now moves to Brazil for round 19 of the championship, returning to Interlagos, a circuit where the Dutchman has repeatedly demonstrated his exceptional racing ability.
Max Verstappen welcomes traditional Brazilian GP format amid rain threat
“It’s a fantastic circuit. I’ve even made a few comebacks here, and the races are usually crazy, often because of the weather,” Max Verstappen said during the opening press conference of the Brazilian Grand Prix weekend.
The Red Bull driver was referring to his extraordinary performance two years earlier, when he won a rain-affected race after starting from 17th on the grid. With unsettled conditions potentially returning to Interlagos, Verstappen believes another unpredictable weekend could be approaching.
“It looks like it could rain again this weekend. Then the sequence of corners, the high tyre wear and other factors make this race full of unknowns.”
When the discussion turned to wet-weather racing, Verstappen also joked about the software problems encountered at Sepang earlier in the season.
“I’ve installed antivirus software in the car, so no problem.”
Despite Red Bull’s recent improvement, the Dutchman remained cautious when assessing his chances against the leading teams. With the competitive gaps particularly small, he believes minor technical details could prove decisive at Interlagos.
“It’s difficult to make predictions for this weekend because I think the gaps at the front are so small that sometimes it all comes down to finding the right setup or the right power deployment, things like that.”
Another important factor is the return of the traditional Grand Prix weekend format. For the first time since 2019, São Paulo will host a conventional race weekend rather than a Sprint event, giving teams additional practice time to work on their cars.
“In recent years, the Brazilian Grand Prix has always had a Sprint race. So now I guess we’ll have a little more time to set up the car, which could be a good thing or a bad thing. I don’t know, we’ll see how it goes.”
Max Verstappen explains Red Bull’s remarkable 2026 F1 comeback
Looking back at the season, Max Verstappen has experienced two very different phases of the 2026 championship. The opening half was marked by uncertainty and technical difficulties, but Red Bull’s development programme has gradually transformed the competitiveness of the RB22, allowing the Dutchman to return to the front.
Although the Drivers’ Championship was never realistically within his reach this season, Verstappen’s competitive instincts have remained evident, including through his participation in racing events outside Formula 1.
“I’m here to win, I love winning. It’s what I’ve cared about since I was a child. I want to win as many races as possible,” he told the media when discussing his ambitions for the closing stages of the campaign.
“I never settle for sixth or seventh place. Even when I was fighting in the midfield, I always tried to give my maximum. Sometimes that meant finishing P6.”
His determination has been matched by Red Bull’s efforts to overcome the difficulties that affected its early-season performance. The team continued working on improvements rather than accepting its position in the competitive order.
“The team never gave up. They kept working hard to find those improvements. I’m happy that, within the same season, we’ve managed to make such a big turnaround.”
The recovery has come despite several technical challenges during the campaign, including Red Bull’s starting difficulties during the Mexico City Grand Prix weekend.
Verstappen surprised by second place in F1 standings after Red Bull upgrades
The improvements introduced to the RB22 have allowed Max Verstappen to climb through the championship standings and reach second place behind newly crowned world champion Andrea Kimi Antonelli. It is a position the Dutchman now has a realistic opportunity to defend during the remaining races.
“It’s a big surprise to be second in the championship, to be honest, but we’ll gladly take it,” Verstappen admitted to reporters on Thursday in Brazil.
“I think we had a lot of difficulties as a team at the beginning. The car wasn’t where we wanted it to be. We probably still had a lot to learn about the power unit, and I think we’ve learned quite a lot throughout the season.”
“Naturally, the car has become much more competitive, especially in the last few races.”
The comments underline the scale of Red Bull’s recovery during a season in which Mercedes has emerged as the leading force, with Andrea Kimi Antonelli securing the world championship. The Italian driver’s historic title triumph and determination to build on his success have provided one of the defining stories of 2026.
For Verstappen, however, the focus remains firmly on delivering victories rather than simply protecting his position in the standings. With Red Bull’s RB22 now performing much closer to the front, the Brazilian Grand Prix offers another opportunity to demonstrate the progress achieved during the second half of the championship.
Unpredictable weather could add another complication to the weekend, particularly given the tyre challenges and potential heavy rain at Interlagos. Whether conditions are wet or dry, Verstappen will be hoping Red Bull’s recovery continues as he pursues further victories before the end of the season.
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