Ahead of Red Bull’s home race in Spielberg, there is once again plenty of attention on Max Verstappen’s Formula 1 future, just as there is on the option in George Russell’s Mercedes contract – something that has been speculated about in the Italian media.
In theory, Verstappen’s situation remains the same as it has been in recent weeks: although Red Bull would like him to express his commitment for the upcoming years, Verstappen can still afford to wait for now.
It bears many similarities to the situation a year ago. Just like then, Red Bull once again has to show Verstappen that it can turn around a difficult situation, while the Dutchman – also related to the well-known clauses in his contract – can afford to play the waiting game for as long as he desires.
After a difficult start to the season, Red Bull took a first step forward with the Miami upgrade package. The RB22, which was overweight by 12kg, had that figure halved in Florida, while the aerodynamic package was also significantly revised, including updated sidepods.
Pierre Wache immediately confirmed to Autosport that a second step would follow in Austria, meaning many eyes are on the RB22 this weekend.
Team principal Laurent Mekies hopes the deficit of around three and a half to four tenths per lap can be reduced to a tenth, but acknowledges that the Austria package alone will not be enough to challenge for wins.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Andy Hone/ LAT Images via Getty Images
Verstappen is aware of that as well and said during Thursday’s media day in Austria that the steps Red Bull has taken since the beginning of the season have been easier than what still needs to be done.
“Those are, of course, also the easier steps to make when you’re far behind. The hardest step is always the last one, to really fight for the win,” Verstappen said when asked by Autosport.
“So let’s see how we can do that, to be in that fight again. I’m not sure [if that can happen this weekend]. But for sure, the team is always giving it 100% and pushing flat out to make the car faster.
“But we know that other teams are also constantly bringing upgrades. So we just need to always try and find a little bit more to try and close that gap. It was quite clear in Barcelona that there was still a gap, so hopefully it can be a bit better this weekend.”
Ahead of the Barcelona race weekend, Red Bull was primarily focused on its performance in high-speed corners. At tracks dominated by low-speed corners, such as Miami, Montreal and Monaco, Red Bull had been reasonably competitive, but the team feared the faster sweeps of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Reality proved to be more complex than a single weak point: performance in the high-speed corners was not even disappointing, but the conclusion was that Red Bull is simply lacking a little bit everywhere.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Alastair Staley / LAT Images via Getty Images
“It’s a combination of things that we need to get on top of. We were a bit worried about the high-speed, but I think it’s a general balance thing,” Verstappen said.
“We know the car is heavy, plus, we just need to find more downforce, more grip, and better kerb riding. All these kind of things that can make a difference to improve our car.”
When Verstappen was asked how crucial the impact of the Austria upgrade over the coming races will be for his future with the team, the four-time world champion replied: “I think it’s just crucial for us as a team, we want to improve from where we started this season to where we want to end it.
“We know that we are lacking performance, so it’s more about just trying to improve the car. I think that’s what everyone wants.”
Verstappen was also unwilling to fully answer the question of whether he would reassess his own position if Red Bull is still only the fourth-fastest team heading into the summer break.
“Let’s see. It’s difficult to answer that right now. We don’t like to be the fourth-best team, so we want to be better. That’s what we are working on at the moment,” he said.
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– The Autosport.com Team
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