Verstappen: Hoping upgrades give us more performance in Austria

The reigning F1 World Champion corrected a journalist who suggested he was chasing his fifth win at the track. “It’s five,” Verstappen said, reaffirming his dominance at the Red Bull-owned circuit. Still, he warned against assuming anything: “There are no guarantees. We’ll always try to do our best... We come into this weekend again, not as favourites, for sure.”

He credited past wins to a combination of car performance and execution, particularly in qualifying: “Last year was a bit of a surprise, the gap in qualifying, but we really executed the performance well with our tyre prep, which on a short lap is not always easy. In the race, it was a proper battle.”

Red Bull has brought upgrades to Austria in a bid to claw back performance after recent challenges. Verstappen was pleased but realistic: “Hopefully it gives us a bit more performance. Every little bit forward will help us be more competitive and hopefully close the gap a little bit.”

He added that development across the grid is relentless: “Others are also bringing bits throughout the year. We just need to keep working hard.”

When asked about the feeling of driving at the Red Bull Ring, Verstappen highlighted his natural synergy with the circuit: “Brake late or go early on throttle, smooth driving. For whatever reason, I’ve always felt good here. Maybe the flow of Sector 2 and Sector 3 suits me naturally.”

Verstappen was also asked about recent podcast comments from teammate Sergio Pérez, who referenced past tension but said Verstappen tends to “hold things in until [he] lets them out on track.”

The Dutchman downplayed any issue: “I have a great relationship with Checo. We’ve always been great teammates... I still need to give him a helmet of mine. He gave me one of his with a very nice message on it.”

He declined to engage with further questions on Red Bull's protest in Canada or penalty points: “Everything has been said about Montreal. I have nothing to add... It doesn’t help anything to keep talking about it.”

On a recurring question about whether penalty points change his approach, he replied bluntly: “You’re joking? I get this question every single time.”

When asked if the rules make racing feel less natural, Verstappen replied: “I’m not going to comment on that. I cannot risk a penalty point.”

Addressing his reputation for being highly sensitive to the car’s behaviour, Verstappen said: “Every driver needs a different thing. What I need from the car might not work for someone else... For me, it’s a natural process.”

He added that performance is the product of communication and adaptation: “There’s no rocket science behind it... You build a new car every year, and you go through a constant process in Formula 1.”

Max also commented on Alex Albon’s past description of the Red Bull as like “a computer mouse turned to maximum sensitivity”: “I don’t know any better... That’s how I drive. I just adapt to what I have.”

With sweeping regulation changes due in 2026, Verstappen confirmed Red Bull is already planning ahead: “You try to get more performance out of this car, which is already planned for a while... but ‘26 is a big opportunity to get it right.”

While previously critical of the direction of new regulations, he was non-committal when asked if changes had improved things: “Maybe good, maybe bad – we’ll see. I’m very open-minded... I don’t make the rules anyway.”

Asked if he’ll still be with Red Bull Racing next season, Verstappen smiled: “I’ve had that question before... It’s the same answer. I don’t even remember what I said last year. But again, it’s not really on my mind.”

Away from F1, Verstappen recently tested a GT3 car at Spa to support his endurance team. “It was more for myself... I just wanted to get more experience.” Comparing the GT3 experience to F1, he said: “It’s quite different, yeah. But it doesn’t matter – in any car, for me, Spa is amazing to drive.”