Verstappen brilliant in Austria, boss Mekies ‘delighted and disappointed’

That was worthy of a four-time Formula 1 champion: Max Verstappen raced from fifth on the grid to second place at the Red Bull Ring, securing his second podium finish of 2026 (following P3 in Canada) and his seventh podium finish at Red Bull’s home circuit (four wins and now three second-place finishes).

There’s no doubt about it: the latest improvements to the Red Bull Racing cars have brought Verstappen close to a Grand Prix victory once again; in the end, he was just 1.611 seconds behind winner George Russell!

RBR team principal Laurent Mekies sums up the Dutchman’s performance as follows: “The strongest impression for me today is that we had a really fast race car. For the first time this season, it was in our hands to win a race.”

“On the other hand, we’re thoroughbred racers, starting with Max, and when you end up crossing the finish line practically on the winner’s tail, it’s naturally disappointing.”

“But once again: this is a massive step forward, and I’d like to thank the whole team at the race car factory, who’ve worked their fingers to the bone to get this Evo package out on the track.”

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“People mustn’t forget: at the season opener we were a second off the pace per lap, and now, at the eighth round of the World Championship, we almost won; and mind you, against rivals who aren’t exactly waiting politely for us when it comes to development.”

“This trend will continue; the teams will carry on developing intensively and making improvements to the race cars.”

“When you introduce so many new features to the car, it’s not exactly easy to get everything working in harmony. It took a while before we got the car into its optimal operating window. The drivers, together with the engineers here – supported by their colleagues back home in Milton Keynes – did a brilliant job of ensuring we had a car capable of winning on Sunday. We’d love to see more of that.”

“However, we’re also well aware that the other teams will step up their game; the balance of power will therefore vary, and also depend on the track layout.”

Naturally, after the thrilling Austrian Grand Prix, the question arose: did the Red Bull Racing strategists leave Verstappen out on the track for too long during the middle stint? Max lost around ten seconds to Russell there, which he then had to make up later.

Laurent Mekies says: “We’ll analyse exactly how that played out. But there are various factors to take into account. We could also say – if we start further up the grid, our starting position is automatically better.”

“The strategists work to the best of their knowledge and belief, and the analysis will show whether there could have been a quicker route to the finish today. Regardless of that – Max put in a phenomenal race and really made the most of his opportunities.”