Max Verstappen doesn’t believe in a Red Bull comeback similar to the one in 2025 and expects to face similar problems at Spa and Monza as he did at Silverstone
A week after finishing second in Austria—where he might even have won with a different strategy—the outlook for Max Verstappen this weekend looks significantly bleaker.
In qualifying at Silverstone, Verstappen was hampered by a power unit issue, but even without that problem, he believes Red Bull simply lacks the pace to compete at the front.
While Verstappen was even asked at the FIA press conference following the Austrian Grand Prix—with last year’s comeback in mind—whether another title fight was possible, his response in the Silverstone paddock was brief: “You shouldn’t ask me that question anymore.”
The Red Bull Ring has traditionally been one of Verstappen’s strongest tracks, but according to the Dutchman, Silverstone suits neither the Red Bull car nor the Red Bull power unit. It is one of the so-called “low-energy” tracks in 2026, where energy management plays an even bigger role than usual.
“We’re not particularly good on tracks like that when things go this way,” Verstappen admits. “Plus, in my opinion, the car’s balance this weekend wasn’t exactly great.”
Problems at Spa and Monza as well
This means that Verstappen also expects Red Bull to face problems at several other tracks as the season progresses: “It’ll basically be the same at Spa, and at Monza as well. That’s a shame, because Spa is, of course, one of my favorite tracks. But it’s going to feel completely different this year.”
This is, of course, due to energy management—something that became evident at Silverstone as well with the return of the much-discussed “yo-yo racing.” Verstappen’s opinion on this topic is clear, even if he has no interest in repeating it over and over again.
“You just know that’s how Formula 1 is right now. There’s not much you can do about it. I’m mainly looking forward to coming home again,” said the four-time world champion.
When confronted during his media session with Dutch journalists that he’s probably also looking forward to the summer break, Verstappen laughs: “Yes, but the summer break isn’t long enough!”
Is another comeback like last year’s impossible for Red Bull?
Last year, Red Bull staged a remarkable comeback after the summer break that nearly earned Verstappen his fifth world championship title. This time, however, he doesn’t expect history to repeat itself.
“You also have to manage the budget cap. That’s why you can’t constantly bring in a ton of upgrades for the car. We’ll continue to assess things race by race, but again: on tracks where energy management is severely limited, we seem to have bigger problems.”
In addition to the lack of pure performance, Red Bull has also had an unusually high amount of bad luck this season, according to Verstappen.
Where’s the black cat?
In addition to the power unit issue on Saturday, a rear wing failure in Austria contributed to his crash in Q3. In Australia, Verstappen also suffered a crash that he couldn’t immediately explain, while in Monaco he had to retire from second on the grid due to another power unit failure.
Verstappen has already stated that these setbacks hurt less than they would if he were fighting for the world championship title. Nevertheless, he is surprised by the extent of his bad luck in 2026—a circumstance that also dogged him during the 24-hour race at the Nürburgring.
“It’s almost as if a black cat crossed my path. So yeah, I don’t know what’s causing it. But I’m not particularly superstitious, so things will get better again eventually.”