Max Verstappen admits that it may not be possible for him to win another Grand Prix this season, but he wants to see Red Bull, which shows greater consistency than in 2026.
The defending champion slid 97 points to championship leader Oscar Piastri, despite his sprint victory in Belgium. While acknowledging that he has not been involved in the title fight this year, Verstappen believes there are still important lessons to learn OVEFR for the rest of the season, pointing to improving the predictability of the car as a key target after summer vacation.
“We always want a decent finish,” Verstappen said. “Of course, everyone’s focus is already a lot until 2026. But what we need to try and achieve is more consistent action and outcomes.
“I don’t know (whether or not victory is possible). It’s very difficult to say after a weekend like (Hungary). But you never know. There may always be surprises.”
Verstappen also has practicality about Red Bull’s struggle, saying that his run in four consecutive championships is inevitable at one stage.
“I’m just keeping everything neutral, so I’m not overly optimistic or pessimistic,” he said. “(More than in 2025) I was like this: ‘Well, we see’. Of course, we still hope to win some races here and there. And we still won two races. But yeah, that’s difficult.
“But on the other hand, we also need to acknowledge that McLaren did a great job from last year until this year, and from our side, that’s a little more difficult.
“(The recent format) is not surprising. Of course, looking at the problems we have, I’ve really got a lot of good results on the other side over the four years.
One of the most recent major changes came in the form of Laurent Mekie, replacing Christian Horner as the principal of the Red Bull team. Verstappen believes Mekies has gotten off to a positive start in his new role.
“He’s very open-minded,” he said. “Of course, it gets better and better – the communication we have – but it’s really going well.”