Max Verstappen finished third at the Belgian Grand Prix on July 19, marking his third podium finish of the 2026 Formula 1 season. The Red Bull driver completed the 44-lap race at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps 11.5 seconds behind winner Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes. Charles Leclerc secured second place for Ferrari.
Verstappen’s teammate, Isack Hadjar, also contributed to Red Bull’s points tally by finishing sixth in Belgium. This result follows a period of intensified development for the team.
Despite the podium, Verstappen voiced concerns regarding the 2026 power unit regulations, which mandate a 50/50 split between combustion and electrical power. He described energy deployment as ‘a jungle’ at Spa, noting a power deficit on the circuit’s long straights.
Verstappen also commented on downshift issues during practice sessions, initially calling them ‘unacceptable’ over team radio. He later clarified this was part of the standard fine-tuning process.
While Verstappen topped the timesheets in Friday’s first practice, he considered the second session more indicative of Red Bull’s true pace. In FP2, he was nearly half a second slower than Antonelli.
The Belgian Grand Prix performance builds on a stronger showing at the Austrian Grand Prix on June 28. There, Verstappen secured Red Bull’s best result of the season by finishing second, 1.6 seconds behind winner George Russell.
Verstappen started the Austrian race from fifth position after a qualifying incident. He made significant progress, overtaking Antonelli and Leclerc early in the race.
Red Bull introduced a series of upgrades for the Austrian Grand Prix, which appeared to enhance the RB22’s competitiveness against Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. Hadjar also finished sixth in Austria, acknowledging the positive impact of the new components.
Earlier in the 2026 season, Red Bull faced challenges, including a retirement for Verstappen at Monaco on June 7. The team was positioned sixth in the constructors’ standings by April 24, indicating a difficult start to the new regulatory era.
Currently, Red Bull sits fourth in the constructors’ standings with 151 points. Verstappen is seventh in the drivers’ championship with 91 points, while Hadjar holds eighth place with 60 points.
