​Max Verstappen said it was satisfying to finally be in the hunt for victory at the Austrian Grand Prix, detailing the car issues that prevented him from taking the fight to winner George Russell. In a heavily revised Red Bull RB22, Verstappen and his team presented a more competitive package at their home race in Austria. The four-time world champion looked set to qualify second or third behind polesitter Russell until a crash in the penultimate corner dropped him to fifth.
But Verstappen recovered in the race and challenged the leading Mercedes cars. After an extended wheel-to-wheel battle with Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton, Verstappen was able to pressure Russell, prompting the Briton to hasten his final pitstop to avoid Red Bull’s undercut. Verstappen delayed his own final stop to gain a tyre advantage, yet he lost too much time in the process to mount a serious late challenge in the 71-lap race.
Issues with the rear axle further hindered Verstappen’s ability to push for a win, though he still celebrated what was his best result of 2026 and a second podium of the campaign. “What was satisfying is that this was the first time I felt like I could actually fight for the win,” he said.
In the first half of the race, the car felt more competitive, but in the latter stages something went awry at the rear, making bumps, kerbs and traction extremely difficult. “That’s a bit of a shame, but to be that close to a win I think is a great effort from the team. They have worked really hard to get these upgrades on the car here, and this is the first time in the race where I felt really competitive and I could push a bit more.”
Verstappen told his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase on the radio that staying out longer before his final pitstop was “not the right call,” and in hindsight he stood by that. “I do think I had the degradation advantage over George, but I also knew it was going to be a very long stint to the end,” he explained. “I personally felt that during the laps I stayed out I probably lost a little bit too much compared to what I gained back from those extra laps on new tyres.” Still, he added, “we still had a very good race, to be honest. It’s been a pretty long road to be here [on the podium] and have a real shot at it, and that is already positive.”