Verstappen dismisses talk of title challenge in F1 2026

Four-time Formula 1 world champion Max Verstappen is buoyed by Red Bull's recent progress, but thinks the team is still missing a few ingredients to match Mercedes and be a regular winner.

On Sunday, Verstappen finished a close second to George Russell at the Austrian Grand Prix, and over the first half of the race he appeared to have the pace to challenge the Mercedes. It's the result of a huge effort behind the scenes in Milton Keynes to turn around its form after starting 2026 with the fourth-fastest car.

That process first bore fruit in Miami, and Red Bull then brought another huge upgrade package to Austria, its parent company's home track, built around a brand-new floor.

The wholesale change took Red Bull a while to dial in during practice, as it changed the balance of the RB22. But once the team got its latest specification closer to the sweet spot, the extra aerodynamic load on offer allowed Verstappen to take another step forward in qualifying. The Dutchman was looking good for at least third on the grid until crashing at Turn 9 in Q3 with what appeared like a technical issue closing the rear wing.

In the race he was rapid again, putting genuine pressure on Russell and defeating the other Mercedes of Kimi Antonelli.

Verstappen's second place was his best result of the campaign, with there being a clear upward trend since Miami. Since the early May round, Verstappen has scored 61 points and that includes a Monaco Grand Prix where he qualified second but retired after stalling on the grid.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images

With Red Bull's upgrades being branded "crucial" to Verstappen's outlook both on this season and on his future, the 28-year-old left Austria more optimistic about the rest of the campaign. It even ignited title talk, even though a genuine challenge seems like a big ask, although his deficit to Antonelli is similar to the one he made up on McLaren's Oscar Piastri over the second half of 2025.

"Well, I think there are more races left than last year, but it’s a very big gap," Verstappen said about his 98-point gap to leader Antonelli. "We had very good pace, but I think to fight for a title we need to be more all-around."

Starts are still a recurring weakness for Red Bull, and Verstappen intimated there were other "procedural" areas the Milton Keynes squad needs to tidy up.

"We still have too many issues," the Dutchman said. "If that’s from a start to just procedural issues in the background, that I think you guys don’t know about, but I know about.

"It’s not a big criticism, I think everyone is aware. But we always want to be better, we chase to be the best. So, we just need to focus on all of those things. If we are a bit more, let’s say, rock solid, and we’ve shown that in the past, then of course it’s a different story. But hopefully it doesn’t take too long. We still have a little bit of work to do."

But Verstappen did feel Austria could be the start of a much more competitive stint after being well adrift in Barcelona two weeks prior.

"Well, I started fifth. I was closing the gap constantly every stint. I was catching George, Kimi was catching me," he said. "For us, this has already been a very big step forward compared to the previous races. I mean, look at the last race. I was just by myself, really not challenging anything. So, on a track that the tyres are degrading on, that’s a good sign."