Following a highly debated qualifying session where he crashed into the wall during Q3, Max Verstappen redeemed himself in the Austrian Grand Prix. The Dutchman secured his second podium of the season, finishing behind an untouchable George Russell. He capitalized on major upgrades introduced by Red Bull in Spielberg, with the excellent pace of the RB22 allowing him to climb into third place during the opening laps.
Verstappen won a fierce battle against Lewis Hamilton before successfully holding off a late charge from Kimi Antonelli, despite battling car issues that disrupted his rhythm toward the end. It proved to be a highly positive day for Red Bull in front of their home crowd, a performance capped off by Isack Hadjar securing a solid sixth-place finish.
Verstappen: “The car was in the window for half the race, then some issues at the end”
Verstappen started strong, immediately inserting himself into the initial battle between Antonelli and Leclerc for third position, which he snatched with a clinical braking maneuver into Turn 4. During the first stint, he fought hard with Hamilton in a duel reminiscent of their 2021 rivalry. The Ferrari driver initially won that battle but pitted on the following lap, allowing the Dutchman to overcut him after his own tire change.
The race pace shown by the upgraded RB22 allowed Verstappen to deliver his strongest performance of the season so far, keeping him in contention for the victory and enabling him to resist Antonelli’s late fightback. When asked by Sky Sport if he feels he can regularly fight at the front now, Verstappen replied: “It’s the first time that we are at the front and that we can fight for the win: the race pace was better than expected and everything seemed to go well. We had some good battles at the front. It was a very positive race with a very positive result.”
The Dutchman expressed great satisfaction with the team’s overall step forward at Spielberg. “It was a very good race. For us, the first few laps were quite fun, after which I just tried to manage the tires. For some reason, in the second half, something wasn’t right at the rear of the car. Everything was extremely difficult, from the bumps to the curbs, to the traction, it was completely gone. So it’s something we need to understand, what went wrong. In the first half, I felt really good and I could push a bit more. I was catching up even after the battles I had with Lewis. It was good, but obviously, it made us lose quite a bit of time and each time I recovered. But then halfway through the second stint, something happened to the car on the rear axle, which made me lose pace, and that remained until the end. However, finishing second so close to the victory is extremely positive for us and in this sense, I am very happy: it’s the first time I felt truly competitive in the race.”
Speaking specifically about the new aerodynamic updates, Verstappen noted that the car now possesses more grip and is faster through corners. However, he added: “We still have some areas we want to work on inside the car, obviously. For half the race, I drove a car that wasn’t in optimal condition. Furthermore, my brakes today weren’t working very well compared to the rest of the weekend. So it’s something that obviously you manage and you learn to drive with, but it’s not ideal.”
With Austria in the rearview mirror, focus now shifts to the British Grand Prix. “We analyze the situation race by race. Silverstone, I love the track, but I did a few laps on the simulator and I started to laugh. Honestly, it felt like a different track. The battery barely drains during the lap. It’s a constantly flat-out circuit. So, it will be very different compared to what we are used to at Silverstone, because of the track layout. Here there are long straights and heavy braking zones, so you can recharge the battery. There you have long straights but into a fast corner, for example, so you can’t recharge the battery, and then on the next straight you don’t have much energy to spend. It will be tough.”
During the post-race press conference, Verstappen also touched upon the championship battle, where he currently trails leader Kimi Antonelli by 98 points. “I believe we had a very good pace, but to fight for the title we need to be more complete. We still have too many problems, whether it’s start issues or procedural matters behind the scenes, which maybe even you are not aware of, but I am. I believe we just need to improve a bit. It’s not a criticism, let’s be clear. Everyone is aware of it, but we always want to improve, we aim to be the best. So, we just need to focus on all these aspects. And then, if we are a bit more solid, and we have shown it in the past, then obviously it will be another story. But let’s hope it doesn’t take too long. We still have some work to do.”
Mekies: “Positive upgrades: the development direction is the right one”
Red Bull Team Principal Laurent Mekies also spoke after the checkered flag, analyzing the technical progress made in Spielberg. With the upgrades introduced in Austria, the Milton Keynes squad managed to close what was initially a one-second gap to Mercedes, unlocking podium performance for Verstappen. “The first very positive thing is the fact that it is the first time as a team we manage to have a car that can compete for first place,” Mekies told Sky Sport. “Let’s not forget that we started this season more than a second behind the best cars, and the fact of being in competition with them before the mid-season makes us realize how much work there has been to improve, especially with the latest upgrades.”
Mekies emphasized that their developmental trajectory is correct, even if further steps are required to match the outright peak speed of their rivals. The ultimate goal remains returning to winning ways with Verstappen, and the indicators from Austria are promising despite a messy qualifying session. “In the previous season, the team managed to change the course of the season very late, after the end of the summer. We take it one race at a time, these upgrades were very important. At the beginning of the season, we were more than a second off: the Miami package allowed us to go from one second to half a second. This package, instead, allows us to be within the last tenth or two of what we need. It still takes a lot because everyone will bring other updates now, but surely the direction is the right one.”
The team boss concluded by evaluating Verstappen’s stellar drive: “In the race, Max was very close to both Russell and Antonelli, who was perhaps the fastest. Max too was perhaps faster than George, but that’s part of the game. We also paid a bit for the starting position. We know that not everything was perfect this weekend—it never is when you bring so many upgrades to the track—but it certainly confirms that the development direction is the right one.”
In conclusion, Red Bull’s latest aerodynamic upgrades have successfully revitalized Max Verstappen’s season, transforming the RB22 into a genuine front-running contender at the Austrian Grand Prix. While technical gremlins and operational hurdles still need to be ironed out, the team’s upward trajectory provides a crucial confidence boost as they head to the unique challenges of Silverstone.
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