"We could've been P3": Verstappen's assessment post-crash in Austria qualifying
- Maham Mir
- Jun 27
- 2 min read
After a late crash in Q3, Red Bull's Max Verstappen will line up in fifth for the 2026 Austrian Grand Prix. On a weekend where the four-time former world champion has struggled with the updated Red Bull package and experienced further mechanical and technical issues during free practice sessions, the Dutch driver noted that "the whole weekend, I've not had something like that", referencing the incident which saw him in the wall.
Coming into qualifying on the back-foot compared to the other midfield and front-running teams with one less set of soft tyres, Verstappen almost didn't make it into Q3 as he opted not to complete a second timed lap. In the final moments of Q2, it seemed as though an improving Pierre Gasly behind would knock Verstappen out of the top 10 however a gap of 0.040s was the difference between the Dutch driver and his former teammate.
Discussing the Q3 incident, Verstappen noted that the car was "immediately gone" as he searched for additional time which saw him in the wall rather than celebrating in triumph. For Red Bull, who have brought an extensive upgrade package this weekend for their home Grand Prix, Verstappen identified that "it's a shame" as "realistically we could've been P3" rather than fifth where he ended up.
However, despite the potential of the upgraded Red Bull, Verstappen was still realistic about what the car would have been able to achieve compared those around him. Stating that "coming off the line is hard for us", the Dutch driver identified the one outright weakness for Red Bull so far in 2026: their race starts.
Although the package has allowed the team to make a step forward to the likes of Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren ahead, Versappen exercised patience and caution to fans by suggesting that "we have to wait". He followed up by outlining that "there's still a few things we want to understand from the package" that the team will slowly unpack now that the upgrades have been brought out of the simulator and onto the track.
There can be no doubt, however, that Verstappen and the team fully intend on "work[ing] from there" to push the team back to the front. With only one podium visit to his name so far this season, the Dutch driver will have his eyes set on another top-three finish sooner rather than later.
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