Max Verstappen has outlined the primary focus for Red Bull Racing as they head into the latter half of the 2026 Formula 1 season, commencing with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort next week.
Currently, Verstappen sits 110 points behind championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli during the mid-season break. Last year, he made a remarkable comeback after the Zandvoort race, finishing on the podium in every subsequent race, but this season he is not anticipating a similar outcome.
Red Bull faces more complex challenges this time around. The team began the season with a significant performance gap, which was anticipated for various reasons. Initially, there were concerns about their power unit, but it has proven to be unexpectedly competitive.
However, issues with the chassis have been more significant. The RB22’s excessive weight has contributed to a performance deficit, with Red Bull lagging by over 1.3 seconds in raw race pace in Australia and China. While the gap narrowed to two-tenths of a second per lap in Belgium and Hungary, Verstappen believes these figures do not fully capture the situation. At Budapest, he remarked that new issues arise every weekend, humorously suggesting that the year’s failures might leave him meditating as a “Buddha in Tibet” during the winter break.
Verstappen’s Priorities for Red Bull
In a serious tone, Verstappen noted that Red Bull must address these challenges, particularly after experiencing what he described as “degradation of the car” during the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend.
“First, we need to find more overall performance. Then, we must solve our issues that sometimes cause us to lose speed throughout the weekend or even from start to finish during the race,” Verstappen stated. “Yes, this is indeed a major priority.”
He continued, “Overall, it has been very tough this first half of the season. There were a few good moments, some bright spots, I suppose, but overall it was hard. Therefore, I believe we need to try to be more solid, a little more complete, to have trouble-free weekends. Plus, we need to find more speed.”
In the championship standings, Kimi Antonelli leads with 219 points, followed by Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari with 169 points, and George Russell with 160 points. Verstappen currently holds 109 points, placing him fifth in the standings.
Driver Standings
Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – 219 points
Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – 169
George Russell (Mercedes) – 160
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – 138
Lando Norris (McLaren) – 128
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – 109
Oscar Piastri (McLaren) – 92
Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – 68
Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) – 43
Pierre Gasly (Alpine) – 42
Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – 23
Franco Colapinto (Alpine) – 19
Oliver Bearman (Haas) – 18
Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) – 10
Carlos Sainz (Williams) – 6
Alex Albon (Williams) – 5
Esteban Ocon (Haas) – 3
Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) – 2
Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) – 1
Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) – 0
Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) – 0
Sergio Perez (Cadillac) – 0
Constructor Standings
Mercedes – 379 points
Ferrari – 307
McLaren – 220
Red Bull – 177
Racing Bulls – 66
Alpine – 61
Haas – 21
Audi – 12
Williams – 11
Aston Martin – 1
Cadillac – 0
