Motorsports
Home Run Hunt
Max Verstappen arrives at Red Bull’s home Austrian Grand Prix looking for a season reset, with the team bringing a major upgrade package to the Red Bull Ring this weekend.
The four-time world champion has not won since last year’s Abu Dhabi season finale. A strong result in Spielberg would help revive his title bid and give Red Bull a clearer read on whether its latest updates can address the performance issues that have slowed the team this season.
Verstappen has a strong record at the venue. He won the Austrian Grand Prix in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2023, and also took the 2021 Styrian Grand Prix at the same circuit during the pandemic. No other driver has more than one Austrian Grand Prix victory.
“Austria is a home race for the team and it’s been great for me in the past,” Verstappen said. “We have good memories there. It’s an interesting challenge. All the corners are quite different so balance is really important.”
He said the Red Bull Ring demands a car that works across different conditions, from high-speed sections to slower corners. Verstappen also pointed to traction, energy management and power deployment as key factors.
“We have a new package this weekend so I’m hoping we can be closer to where we want to be,” he said.
The short and fast circuit in the Styrian Alps is expected to produce close racing. It could also extend a run of changing fortunes in the championship after Lewis Hamilton ended Mercedes’ six-race winning streak with his first Ferrari victory in Spain.
Hamilton’s win in Catalunya was the 106th of his Formula One career and strengthened his bid for an eighth drivers’ title. He sits 41 points behind Mercedes teenager Kimi Antonelli, who remains on top of the standings despite recording his first retirement of the season in Spain.
Mercedes will also bring upgrades to Austria, where George Russell won in 2024. Ferrari is set to introduce an engine update as it targets a historic 250th Formula One victory.
McLaren is also expected to contend. Defending Austrian Grand Prix winner Lando Norris won from pole last year, while the team will test an experimental rear wing during Friday practice.
