Max Verstappen admitted that several aspects of Red Bull’s performance failed to meet expectations during the 2026 United States Grand Prix, despite the Dutchman securing third place at the Circuit of The Americas. After struggling to match race winner Kimi Antonelli and losing second position to Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the closing stages, the four-time Formula 1 world champion highlighted inconsistent engine behaviour and shortcomings in the team’s overall execution.
The result brought Max Verstappen another podium following consecutive victories in Malaysia and Singapore, but the Red Bull driver was far from satisfied. Although third place represented a respectable outcome, the difficulties experienced throughout the race left him concerned about the performance of his car and the work still required to challenge consistently at the front.
Max Verstappen struggles with Red Bull pace at United States GP
Having arrived in Austin following back-to-back victories, Max Verstappen had hoped to maintain his recent momentum. However, the United States Grand Prix proved considerably more complicated than the previous two races, with the Red Bull driver unable to sustain the pace of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli at the front.
Managing the car also became a persistent challenge. Team radio exchanges highlighted Max Verstappen’s frustration during the race, while an irritated reaction immediately after a pit stop provided another indication that the afternoon was not unfolding as planned.
Despite those difficulties, Max Verstappen managed to recover second position by overtaking McLaren’s Lando Norris. His efforts ultimately proved insufficient to secure the runner-up spot, however, as Charles Leclerc mounted a late attack for Ferrari and passed the Red Bull driver.
The Monegasque’s recovery was one of the decisive developments in the closing stages, with Charles Leclerc reclaiming second place from Max Verstappen before the chequered flag.
Max Verstappen reveals inconsistent Red Bull engine performance
Speaking to Sky Sport F1 after the podium ceremony, Max Verstappen acknowledged that his team’s problems had not been limited to a single aspect of the race.
“Unfortunately, a lot of things didn’t work,” Max Verstappen commented. “We probably didn’t execute everything in the right way. The overall performance wasn’t what we wanted either, so it was a combination of many things. The engine was also very inconsistent, and that’s something we need to look into.”
The four-time world champion’s assessment underlined the frustration surrounding Red Bull’s performance in Austin. Rather than identifying one isolated mistake, Max Verstappen pointed to a combination of execution problems, insufficient overall pace and inconsistent power-unit behaviour.
Those concerns were particularly significant given the improvement Red Bull had demonstrated in recent races. The team’s progress had helped Max Verstappen return to winning form in Malaysia and Singapore, but the United States Grand Prix exposed another set of challenges.
The contrast with the previous round was especially notable after Max Verstappen’s Singapore Grand Prix victory, which had extended his winning momentum before the championship moved to Austin.
Charles Leclerc denies Max Verstappen second place in Austin
Max Verstappen’s fight for second position became one of the main battles in the final phase of the United States Grand Prix. Although the Dutchman managed to overtake Lando Norris, he was unable to prevent Charles Leclerc from closing the gap and launching a successful attack.
Ferrari’s strong late-race performance allowed Charles Leclerc to recover the position, leaving Max Verstappen third behind the Monegasque and race winner Kimi Antonelli.
The result also demonstrated how closely matched the leading teams have become. Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull all featured prominently in the fight at the front, but Kimi Antonelli was able to establish a clear advantage while Max Verstappen struggled to extract the performance required to challenge for victory.
For further context on the changing competitive picture, Red Bull’s earlier improvements had already shown how the development of the RB22 helped Max Verstappen return to competitiveness. Austin, however, demonstrated that maintaining that progress remains a challenge.
Max Verstappen praises Kimi Antonelli as F1 title approaches
Despite his frustration with Red Bull’s performance, Max Verstappen adopted a much more positive tone when discussing Kimi Antonelli, whose victory in Austin brought him closer to securing the 2026 Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship.
With Kimi Antonelli taking victory and Mercedes teammate George Russell finishing eighth, the Italian now has an opportunity to secure the world title at the next Grand Prix in Mexico.
Max Verstappen expressed genuine admiration for the Mercedes driver’s achievements and also acknowledged the significance of a potential Italian world champion.
“He’s had an incredible, fantastic season. I’m extremely happy for him and for his family too. One more race and then Italy can celebrate. Many people think that next year it will be me against Kimi for the championship, but we still have a lot of work to do before we can fight for the title.”
The comments reflected both Max Verstappen’s respect for Kimi Antonelli and his recognition that Red Bull still has important work ahead before the 2027 Formula 1 season.
While the Italian stands on the brink of his first world championship, Max Verstappen remains focused on improving his team’s competitiveness. His third-place finish in Austin secured another podium, but the inconsistent engine behaviour and difficulties experienced throughout the race have given Red Bull several areas to investigate before the next Grand Prix.
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