Verstappen Sees Progress From Red Bull Upgrade Package

Max Verstappen believes Red Bull Racing's latest upgrade package has delivered progress despite his qualifying crash at the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix ending his pole challenge.

Verstappen was running third after the opening Q3 laps and appeared on course to improve before losing control at the penultimate corner. The accident left him fifth on the starting grid.

Despite the setback, the four-time world champion said most of the new components performed as expected. He noted that several areas still require further evaluation, but overall the development package represents a step forward.

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"Most of the upgrade worked well. A few things still need to be looked at to see if they can be improved."

"Overall, I do think it was a bit better. But of course, this is a very short lap, so in terms of lap times, the gaps are always a bit tighter. We'll have to wait and see how things look in the upcoming races."

Verstappen also pointed out that the Red Bull Ring's short layout makes it difficult to fully assess the effectiveness of the upgrades from one qualifying session alone. He still believes Red Bull trails its main rivals.

"It didn't feel bad. But the fact is, of course, that you're still a bit behind. In that regard, we haven't closed the gap that much yet. If you compare it to Barcelona, too—it's a short lap here. I do think Mercedes was very strong in the fast corners. That's where you're still falling a bit short."