Verstappen Says Red Bull Strategy Cost Him Austrian GP
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- Max Verstappen finished 1.6 seconds behind George Russell at Sunday's Austrian GP, Red Bull's first race of the 2026 season where they were in genuine contention for the win.
- Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 he was "pretty confident I could have kept him behind" if Red Bull had pitted first to undercut Russell, rather than extending his stint after Mercedes brought Russell in with 28 laps remaining.
- Red Bull pitted Verstappen with 22 laps to go for a tyre advantage, but he emerged with an 11-second deficit he could not fully erase.
- Red Bull brought a major upgrade package to Austria that team principal Laurent Mekies said delivered "more than one second of pace in a few races."
- Prior to Austria, Verstappen had just one podium this season — a third place at the Canadian Grand Prix — and was regularly well off Mercedes' raw pace.
- The RB22's chassis and aerodynamics, not the new Ford-collaborated power unit, proved Red Bull's biggest weakness of the season, contrary to pre-season expectations.
- The 2026 season continues with a Sprint weekend at Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, where Verstappen flagged battery management as a key variable.
Why it matters: Red Bull's Austria upgrade cut the deficit to Mercedes by more than a second, putting Verstappen in position to win after months off the pace. But Mekies acknowledged Red Bull needs further upgrades as Mercedes keeps developing — making this fight at the front far from settled heading into Silverstone.
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